Pocket Archives
by madelita
Summary: As if being Conan wasn't enough, now Shinichi finds himself being even smaller than he was - so small that he could fit in someone's pocket! But let's see what happens when that pocket actually belongs to a certain phantom thief! Cover art drawn by the lovely Kensy Echo :3 ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

Never in his life would've Shinichi thought that he would miss being Conan. But that was exactly the case, as his pocket sized self was climbing up on the inner side of a greasy trashcan. His face was muddy and there was a large cut on his hand – had he been his normal size, it would be nothing more than a bigger papercut, but like this... and he started cursing his fate and Haibara's failed antidote again.

There was no way he could use his previous method, he couldn't even reach Ran's place, let alone stay with her again. He had to abandon his bowtie too, along with the rest of his clothes, and use the torn rags from a thrown out Ken doll – even those were too big on him.

And, as if the world enjoyed messing with him, it started raining too, making the grease on the trashcan even more slippery. He was freezing as well, tiny teeth clanking together, and he seriously started wondering if he should keep climbing or seek shelter under the crumpled boxes of Chinese food below him – the smell chased him upwards in the end. Besides, if someone came to take the trash away and he would find himself in a bag which would be tossed around mercilessly later... he wouldn't survive.

He didn't even know exactly when they would clean the trashcans, but he assumed it was too early for that. Thus he set a comfortable pace, gave himself enough time to rest and a mental pat on the back after every inch. This went on for a while, until – to his horror – he heard footsteps dangerously close to the trashcan.

The lid opened with a horrifying creak and faint moonlight lighted up the garbage and Shinichi's frightened face. Above him stood a boy around his age, wearing a white cape and a monocle – Kid.

"Why, why him of all people?" Shinichi asked himself and looked for some sort of escape route, but didn't find anything. If he let himself fall, he would've certainly fallen to his death – those shining pieces of a broken vodka bottle would cut him up.

Kid didn't seem to notice him though – his face was neutral as he dropped something that looked like a glove in the trash – there were suspicious red blotches on it, Shinichi noticed. However, he also noticed, that the glove almost made him fall, and he let out a frightened yelp. That caught Kid's attention and he casted a surprised glance on him.

"A doll?" he asked, and reached inside the trashcan and held Shinichi up by his collar. He started squirming, though he probably should've stayed still, but he really didn't want to be around his rival in such state. Kid's eyes were wide now and he leaned even closer. "Are you... one of Akako's..." Shinichi still squirmed and he tried to kick the other, but it only resulted in him almost falling. Kid let out an amused chuckle, though he soon clutched his side with a pained grimace. "Well, let's get you out of here, little guy..." he said with a warm smile and put the growling Shinichi in his pocket.


	2. In which Kid takes Shinichi home

_First of all, I want to say that I'm really grateful for all the kind comments I got, those really meant a lot to me. I hope I can keep entertaining you with my silly writing._

_But I also need to apologize. I'm in the middle of my final exams, so I don't have too much time, and when I do, I'm beyond tired. That's why this chapter might seem a bit too... rushed or messed up. Buuuut I really missed writing, so here it is. Hopefully the next time I post something, it'll be much better._

_And that's it for now, please enjoy!_

* * *

Pocket sized Shinichi was currently sitting on the top of a large tower made of a light blue blanket. He was still wearing the rags he got from that doll in the dumpster, but at least they were clean. Since... Kid washed them.

It was weird how domestic it felt to be cradled to his chest, then be bathed by him, and just generally be cared for... Kid was surprisingly gentle, though also a bit clumsy. And, for some reason, endlessly patient, even when Shinichi kept struggling to salvage the remains of his pride. The only disturbing thing was how Kid kept clutching his side with a pained expression. He was sweating too, while his breathing was heavy, like he'd been running for days.

Now he was gone, only God knows where. Thus Shinichi had nothing better do to, but examine his surroundings and maybe find a way to get to Professor Agasa's place.

Where was he anyway? This was the second place they stopped at (the first one was an old warehouse, so Kid could change his clothes), and it looked like a completely normal, if slightly dark, living room of a normal family house. It was almost too normal. He didn't know what he expected, maybe just a bit more pink puffs of smoke. Or doves. Or cards. Ugh. Now he was thinking in clichés, Shinichi scolded himself. He already raised his palms for facepalming, when he saw the blue ribbon that hid his wound. Oh yeah. Kid did that too.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost didn't notice Kid enter the room. The other boy walked over to the couch in front of Shinichi, and sat down with a tired sigh. Shinichi didn't see it in the darkness, but the other boy looked almost deadly pale.

Minutes later, when Kid finally looked at him, he only received a quiet grunt. He had to wait a bit longer until he heard the first words from him.

"So… what are you?" he asked, curiosity hiding in his tired gaze. As he leaned forward to get a better look on Shinichi, he seemed ready to collapse any second, and Shinichi worried that the boy might fall on him. He barely looked capable of having coherent thoughts, let alone sentences, and at this point Shinichi was almost more worried about Kid than himself. Almost. While he analysed the thief's appearance, he forgot to answer his question, so Kid asked something again: "Did Akako send you?"

Akako? Shinichi couldn't do much but stare at the other, as he had no idea who this "Akako" was. He had a thousand of other questions in his head. Didn't Kid recognize him? Did he really change that much? He hadn't got the chance to get a glimpse of his face, but he seriously started to worry – what if he looked even younger now? Like a 3-year-old or even younger? Sure, he had the power to climb inside the trashcan, but that might have been only because of the adrenaline.

"This can't be…" Shinichi whispered to himself, burying his face in his palms. Being Conan was hellish enough, he seriously needed a break.

"What do you mean, "this can't be?"" Kid asked again with just the tiniest hint of impatience in his voice and he leaned even closer, then suddenly clutched his side with a hiss. He stayed that way for a few moments, then, when he recovered, he spoke again. "Well… Do you have a name, at least?"

And this is when Shinichi went beyond worried. Overcoming his panic over his appearance, he realized that he needed to rely on the thief, whether he liked it or not. He couldn't do much on his own, not when he couldn't even climb out of that damned trashcan, and now only Kid knew where they were. He had to present himself in a way that the magician would be willing to help him, even if it meant throwing his pride out of the window. But how, how could he… befriend him? And Kid wanted an answer to his question – he was already tired and impatient. Thus, in the last moment before the other boy got ready to leave Shinichi, he croaked out an answer.

"Arthur. My name… is Arthur."


	3. In which Shinichi is sleepless

_Apparently thunderstorms and the lack of internet connection can be magical if you have trouble writing. So yeah, I had nothing better to do, and quickly wrote another tiny chapter._

_Thanks for all your support, guys, I'm grateful for every little feedback ^^_

_As for the size of these chapters... I originally wanted to write loosely connected stories with pocket Shin-tan (that's still the plan), so I don't know if these chapters will get much longer than this._

_And of course, I'll try to explain everything! Please tell me, if something's unclear, or if someone's too OOC, I might be able to improve it. (Unless it's intentional, of course.)_

_Aaaanyways, thank you all, and please enjoy!_

* * *

„Now I've done it. Now I've really done it." pocket sized Shinichi thought, for the thousandth time that evening as he laid on a far too comfortable pillow.

Why did he choose "Arthur" of all names? Just when he thought how he can't say neither "Shinichi", nor "Conan" as Kid asked his name, or he'd be found out, and then he just returns to his favourite author, just like he did before! It's just as stupid as the thief choosing the name "Arséne Lupin" if he needed a new alter ego. Speaking of Kid…

The boy was currently sleeping peacefully on the couch, next to the sofa Shinichi occupied, right hand still covering his left side, left hand awkwardly hanging. After Shinichi told him "his" name, Kid only smiled at him, then pulled a pillow and a tiny blanket out of nowhere and set them on the sofa.

"Well then, Arthur," he started, saying Shinichi's new name with a cute accent, "you'll sleep here for now, if you don't mind." With that, he grabbed his collar and put him on top of the pillow, then covered him carefully. "Good night," he said, and he all but collapsed on the couch. He struggled to find the right position, and a few times he hissed and clutched his side, making Shinichi worry again, then settled on his side, with his back towards the detective. "I'm Kaito, by the way." That's all he said, and moments later his breathing evened out, clearly off to Dreamland already.

He didn't notice Shinichi's frustrated expression, as he almost shrieked: "Why are you giving out your name so easily?" It didn't really matter that he already knew who Kuroba Kaito was, as all the evidence he might gather would be magically lost anyway. Maybe he was just frustrated… for the thief. So what if he was a tiny bit fond of his rival, he asked himself, and pulled the blanket closer to his chin. The magician was far better than the majority of the criminals he had to face, many of them being ruthless, leaving their humanity behind for fortune and pleasure. Compared to the tiring murder cases he always got into, Kid's heists were fun and exciting. Solving his riddles, feeling the adrenaline bubbling up inside him as he tried to chase the thief, meeting him on a rooftop… If anyone felt the same thing Shinichi did, they would understand too.

With a displeased grunt he turned to this side, while a traitorous little part of his mind quietly hummed the song "I won't say I'm in love" in his ear. Was he going soft after all? He was supposed to be sharp, cool, calm and collected, and not… gushing like a lovesick highschooler. It didn't help too much that he WAS a highschooler, and maybe, just maybe he wasn't too far from being lovesick either. Not that he would say it.

Kid's light snoring broke his thoughts for a moment. Oh yeah, what was so good about him anyway? He was a stuck up, egoistic brat, with no fashion sense, and he didn't even look that good. Especially not his eyes. Those deep blue eyes… Right. Stop that. How will he ever catch the thief, if he keeps acting like this?

Ignoring the same traitorous part of mind that now kept saying "You won't catch him, because you don't even want to", he began to think about ways to put Kid in prison. Fruitless minutes followed.

"This is just part of his plan, isn't it?" Shinichi murmured. Kid somehow made him… grow fond of him, so that he would be useless and could never catch him. And he really couldn't do anything, now that he could fit in someone's pocket…! Wait. Wait a moment.

He had an idea. Sure, it was dangerous, but this was something he could do only like this. Only when he was this small.

"Just you wait, Kid. Just you wait." he grinned, moments later he fell asleep.


	4. In which Shinichi isn't a morning person

_And with this day my written exams are finished! Thank you for all the support, your kind words put me in a super good mood today! ^^_

_I'm not really sure what to say, you guys are surprising me every single day with your positivity and kindness, so... Thank you again, I guess._

_So, I guess, I should answer a few questions..._  
_**Kensy Echo**, I appreciate constructive criticism, and trust me, not only you didn't make me upset, you cheered me up completely! I'm also really grateful that you took your time to write a review, so... yeah. Can I hug you now? Okay, okay, I'll stop ^^" But seriously, don't worry, you didn't upset me. I hope you'll enjoy the next chapters too._  
_**Neonkoi**, Yukiko surely would enjoy pampering and teasing his suddenly tiny son, and I'm pretty sure that after getting over his embarrassment, Kai-chan would join in too ^^ And by the way, Kid WILL find it out, I've got everything planned :D Now that you mention it, I didn't really think about Akako's abilities to shrink people... But she'll drop by later, just to stir things up a bit._

_And this is getting awfully long, so I should just shut up. Please enjoy~_

* * *

Morning came awfully early for Shinichi. At 5 a.m. to be exact, as that was the time Kid decided to dance around the living room with the pillow (and Shinichi still laying on top of it) in his hands, loudly humming some unknown song.

"Rise and shine!" he chirped, while he stomped towards the bathroom. If Shinichi wasn't struggling with his almost heart-attack from being woken up and being up so high on a wobbly pillow so suddenly, he would've noticed how the thief was already dressed up, seemingly fresh, dark circles under his eyes almost perfectly hidden by make-up. Instead, he was busy with clutching the pillow with his tiny hands, praying to every single god he knew not to let him fall.

When they arrived, Kid put the pillow on top of a cabinet. The small basin he used last night to bathe Shinichi was already there, filled with warm water, and the detective couldn't hold back the mortified groan at the sight. Did he really have to through all that again? Even when the warm water seemed so inviting, even when his mind choose the worst moment to remember how good it was to be pampered, he knew he had to stay alert. He had a plan after all.

"How was your sleep?" Kid asked him as he grabbed a washcloth.

"Short. Too short." Shinichi grumbled. Damn, he really needed some caffeine.

"Sorry to hear that," the thief chirped back, his tone still annoyingly cheerful. _Don't lie, you're not sorry at all,_ Shinichi thought to himself, and sent a far too sleepy glare to Kid. He was unaffected, still all smiles, and radiating happiness.

In the end, despite Shinichi's heroic efforts, Kid succeeded in bathing him, then left him to dry, wrapped in a big blue towel. He promised he'd be back in a minute, but Shinichi couldn't just sit there until then. There was still one question that bothered him.

He climbed out of his towel cocoon (he suspected that Kid wrapped it in a specific way just to not let him move), and trotted over to the mirror on the wall. Luckily, the edge of it reached the cabinet, so Shinichi didn't need to climb anywhere – his hand couldn't handle it anyway, as it began to throb painfully with every small movement since yesterday.

He looked… different, he realized. Not quite himself, but not Conan either. He was between the two, agewise, like his 13-year-old self. Still, he seemed dangerously similar to both, and to stay with someone who knew the real him and his alter ego so well… He needed to be as careful as possible, he couldn't let anything slip, not even the slightest hint. Only God knows what Kid might do otherwise.

"Hey, what are you doing there? You'll get cold, you know!" Speak of devil… The thief hurried over to him, gently picked him up and wrapped him in the towel again, when he found his skin and his hair still a bit wet. A few minutes later Shinichi was free from the towel-prison, but only to be wrapped in something else again – a piece of white cloth, he realized, and it had a slightly odd feel to it.

"What is this?" he asked himself, rather than Kid, but the thief answered anyway.

"My glove" he said, while he struggled to keep it wrapped around Shinichi with a small safety pin. When he finished, he smiled again, and it was that weird, not quite true smile again. He didn't give himself too much time to admire his work though, as he pulled out a small ribbon out of his pocket, then went to search for antiseptic and cotton buds. By the time he found them, Shinichi fell asleep while standing.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Kid asked with an amused snort and probably his first real smile that morning, that only grew wider when instead of answering Shinichi began snoring. "Oh well…" He quickly replaced the bandage on his hand, then picked him up as carefully as possible and left the bathroom.

On his way out, he casted a quick glance at the trash bin and the bloody bandages in it, grateful that his little guest didn't notice them.

"Let's go home, okay?" he asked quietly, and let himself smile again when Shinichi just cuddled his thumb in his sleep.


	5. In which Shinichi gets new clothes

_Whoa, you guys are crazy about Akako... Don't worry, she'll show up eventually ^^_

_But anyway, as I was thinking, I figured that I should keep my updates somewhat consistent - spamming you guys all of sudden, then leaving for weeks or months won't do. So, I decided that I'll upload one or two chapter per week._

_Thank you all for your reviews, they all made me smile, and hey, you guys have some great ideas, sooo... I might use them later. Who knows? Of course, I'll give all of you credit for that, as the idea is originally yours._

_That's it for now. Please enjoy!_

* * *

"I'll be back soon, so stay here until then, okay?" Kid said, for the thousandth time already. Shinichi was too tired to even nod, so he just blinked at the thief. He earned a slightly uncomfortable smile and a light pat to his head for that, then Kid left the room, leaving Shinichi alone on a really, really fluffy looking bed.

So this was his bedroom. It was surprisingly plain, even though Shinichi kept reminding himself not to think in only clichés. The only thing that really caught his attention at the first glance was a big poster of a man on the wall. He looked kind and friendly. Judging by his clothes, he was probably a magician. No surprise, really, this was Kid's bedroom after all. Still, Shinichi felt that there was something more to that poster, something hidden… Too bad he couldn't quite reach it, as even climbing off the bed would've been too difficult with his injured hand.

All he could do is look around and maybe sleep again, which… well, weren't too many options. He didn't think he would find anything on the bed, and that meant he had to observe from far away. The desk, that might have had something interesting in it, looked as plain and painfully normal as the rest of the room from Shinichi's perspective, nothing really hinting that this was where Kaitou Kid lived.

Not to mention that it wasn't the first time he was left alone in that room. The first time was right after they arrived, Kid waking him up with careful nudges. He told Shinichi that he needed to leave, and he indeed looked like he was in a hurry, though he really tried his best to hide it. That is, until they heard a loud shriek ("Kaiiiitooooo! Breakfast!") to which the thief visibly paled, his cheerful and awfully fake smile disappearing for a second. He quickly said goodbye, then slammed the door behind him. When he returned, he only stayed for a good ten minutes, looking for his wallet, then for money when he found that empty. He kept saying he'd be back soon while he did that, to the point where it got annoying, then left again.

And this is how Shinichi ended up on laying on Kid's bed. He gave up on sitting straight, or sitting in any way for that matter, he still felt tired and dizzy. The safety pin that kept the torn up glove on him pissed him off to no end – he wanted to get back those rags he got from that doll, even those were more comfortable, even if they still smelled a bit, unlike the glove, that had Kid's scent on it. Shinichi was mildly horrified by the fact that their relationship reached the stage when he recognized the thief's scent.

He might have dozed off at some point, because he awoke to the door of the bedroom opening and closing, then a bunch of… something being roughly thrown on the bed.

"Try these on" Kid huffed, sounding tired but proud for some reason.

Shinichi opened his eyes, only to find toy boxes next to him, with fashionably dressed Ken dolls inside them. _Oh, you can't be serious…_

"Wait a sec, I'll open the boxes!" Kid spoke again, voice full with excitement, eyes sparkling. For some reason Shinichi just didn't have the heart to refuse, though he kept acting grumpy, just for his pride.

So, in the end he tried on no less than four suits in obnoxious colours, three T-shirts, one white shirt and one light blue, and six different jeans and trousers. They were hanging awkwardly off him, but Kid still looked satisfied, that happy little grin never leaving his face. When they were finished, he wrapped the glove around Shinichi again, then disappeared – this was the third time already, Shinichi noted with a scowl.

Haibara's failed antidote, that made him this small in the first place, kicked in again, and he woke up only in the evening, only to find a warm, though small blanket covering him. Kid was hunched over his desk, when Shinichi coughed lightly to get his attention.

"Had a nice nap?" he turned around, and Shinichi noted that the ever present smile didn't quite reach his eyes, and the make-up that was supposed to hide his dark circles was useless now. Nevertheless, Kid bounced over to the bed, holding… something in his hands. They were the clothes Shinichi had to try on earlier, though they looked a bit different.

"Try these on!" Kid said, trying to imitate the same childlike excitement he had that morning and failing. Shinichi barely supressed a groan, but did as he was asked, only to find that the clothes fit him perfectly, as if they were made especially for him. "Perfect!" Kid all but squealed, and he looked suddenly a lot, lot happier than he was before.

The same shriek they heard in the morning interrupted them, though this time it was "Kaiiiitooo! Dinner!" instead. Kid apologized, then left hurriedly.

As Shinichi settled down with a huff, he spotted the mini sewing kit on the desk. He smiled. Maybe his thief wasn't so bad after all…


	6. In which Shinichi is in pain

_Okay, as promised, two chapters per week, the first one coming on every Monday._

_As you might have noticed, I have this terrible habit that I leave out words - I might type fast, but my mind is always faster, so it happens occasionally. If you ever notice something like that, please, go ahead and tell me, and I'll correct it right away! Thank you ^^_

_**JarayZ**, there's nothing weird about it, Akako is awesome! My favourite is Ran, but I totally get how you feel ^^_  
_**Kensy Echo**, yes, it was totally Aoko :) She'll show up later as well._  
_**Neonkoi**, yeeeeaaah, Haibara... I'm actually afraid of writing with her. I'm such a rookie in the DCMK fandom, I don't know her that much... But of course, she'll appear later on._

_Aaaand about the antidote... It was mentioned in the prologue, but... I didn't pay too much attention to it, mostly because all I wanted to write about was pocket Shin-tan being adorable. However, I will explain it later on. Sorry if I confused anyone with it ^^"_

_And this is getting awfully long again, so just... Please enjoy! ^^_

* * *

The next day Shinichi woke up to the unbearable pain in his stomach. He curled up, pressed his palms to where it hurt, but it did little to ease his suffering. Before he noticed, small, pained whimpers left his mouth, and his eyes filled with tears. He truly felt like a child then, in his mind begging to someone to help him.

He heard the blankets moving next to him, and moments later a terrible bedhead emerged from the white blanket-cocoon. With a shake of head, the brown mess of hair shifted, and Shinichi was able to see a pair of unfocused, blue eyes, staring at him in confusion. He couldn't look at them for too long, though, as he felt another wave of pain in his stomach. He curled up even more, forehead almost touching his knees.

"Arthur? Hey, Arthur, what happened?" Shinichi felt soft fingertips touching his back and arms, as Kid asked him with a raspy voice… He couldn't even bring himself to answer, forming words required too much energy, and he was as powerless as a bird beaten down by a hailstorm. He still struggled to at least say that he was in pain, that he needed help – nothing left his mouth but whimpers.

He felt himself being raised up then put on a soft palm, then he felt the other boy's breath tickling his neck as he asked in the lowest whisper: "Are you in pain? Where does it hurt?" Shinichi tried to point at his stomach, but there was no need in the end – when they heard a loud growl, they both knew what the problem was. "You didn't eat anything yesterday, right… And before that…"

Kaito all but jumped to his feet, making sure that he didn't drop Shinichi, then ran all the way to the kitchen. When they got there, he put his little guest on the table, and went to look for anything that could be edible. He also got the smallest plate he could find, and a knife to cut up the food to match Arthur's size.

He decided against bread and butter, he didn't want to give mere crumbs to the other. He looked for vegetables and fruits, those at least had some juice too – Arthur must've been thirsty as well. He found cheese too, so he put it on the plate as well. Damn it, why didn't he tell him earlier? Kaito fumed as he cut up the things he could find, the knife barely avoiding his own fingers.

Meanwhile Shinichi laid down on the table, then curled up again. How could he be so stupid? He was so busy with being worried about his shrunk state (and the thief, his traitorous mind reminded him) that he forgot about food completely! Now he was in pain, useless, and completely at his rival's mercy! If the guy decided to cut him up with the knife he was holding (it was as tall as Shinichi, for God's sake!), he wouldn't have the energy to even avoid the blow, let alone run.

But his thief seemed to have no such intentions, as he made his way over to his pathetic form. He wore a mournful expression instead. Maybe this was the first time ever that Shinichi has seen him like this, not even pretending to be okay.

"Here you go. Eat slowly, you don't want to upset your stomach even more." he said, voice low, but full of restrained tension. Not that Shinichi could care, the moment he spotted the food, he grabbed it and began to eat. Later he would scold himself, because he didn't even stop to wonder if it was spiked, but at that moment the only thing he cared about was making the pain stop. It didn't take too much, five slices of apple and a little cheese was all he needed – he left half of the food Kaito prepared.

"Next time… next time don't wait until you're in pain." Kid said quietly, and took the plate away with shaking hands when he saw that Arthur was done eating.

That day he didn't talk to Shinichi at all, but prepared food for him at least 5 times.

"So he can be caring after all…" Shinichi thought to himself with a little guilt in his heart.


	7. In which Kid is suspicious

_**EDIT**: So, I changed a few paragraphs a bit, hopefully it's not that confusing anymore. Thanks for warning me, though, and please, if it's still confusing, or if you ever find anything that's too difficult to understand in a chapter, tell me so that I can do something about it._

_Guys, guys, can we pretend that it's already Thursday? Uploading only two chapters per week is hell when you're on a writing spree, seriously..._

_So, you guys don't know about this yet, but I'm, uh... kind of a sadistic writer ^^" I like to torture my loved ones when it comes to writing (Shout out to Aika Ashihara, my adorable kouhai, who is apparently my very personal AU storage too, she knows this already...), so um... Shit's about to hit the fan very soon. I guess. Or maybe not._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

While he had seen the thief being distressed a few times, Shinichi definitely wasn't used to Kid pacing in the living room with an angry scowl on his face. He wasn't even walking anymore – he was stomping. He resembled a pissed off dinosaur more than anything else. And his hands, oh, his hands. They were shaking so badly, Shinichi thought they would fall off.

He couldn't even imagine what happened to Kid while he was away. He left for school in the morning, looking slightly tired, but other than that he was fine. He didn't clutch his left side either, and his smile looked just a tiny bit more natural too. So what on earth, Shinichi asked himself, could have happened in the span of… less than 8 hours?

"Arthur, I'll go upstairs a bit, okay?" Kid said, then left without waiting for an answer. Weird. He didn't like to leave Shinichi alone unless it was seriously necessary.

Before Kaito went to school, too, he fussed over Shinichi like a mother hen. He put him on the sofa, turned the TV on for him, but prepared a blanket too in case he wanted to sleep. He pushed the coffee table close enough to the sofa that Shinichi wouldn't even need to jump, and prepared tons of food (he even warned Arthur to eat the fruits and vegetables first, or they'd get too dry) and water in caps of plastic bottles. When everything was done, Kid held him close to his chest, apologizing a million times for leaving. Even after he closed the door behind him, Kaito went back just to hug Shinichi again and ask him to be careful with his hand. He was so nice, for a moment Shinichi forgot that they were supposed to be rivals.

But when he returned, Kid was cold, angry at something or someone, and his overly affectionate self was gone. He only gave Shinichi a tiny, short hug, then put him down on the sofa again and ignored him afterwards.

Shinichi probably fell asleep while watching an awfully uninteresting cooking show. When he woke up, Kaito just returned from somewhere (probably the place where he always went to eat in the morning and the evening) and it was already dark outside. It felt weird not to sleep on his pillow (Yes, he had his own pillow in Kid's house already. He resisted the urge to facepalm at that.), and for a few moments he was disoriented. By the time he managed to fully gather himself, he was already in Kid's still slightly shaking hands, as they made their way over to the bathroom.

They started their new bathing routine – Kid took a quick shower, then began to bathe him. He occasionally sang something (and damn, it was probably the most adorable singing voice he ever heard, Shinichi admitted with a slight blush), but it never was quiet. He always babbled about something, asked Arthur about things like his favourite food or colour, as if he couldn't bear the silence.

That day, however, was different. Kid didn't say a word, his movements were monotone, robotic, stiff. While he usually took his time with bathing Shinichi, now he was in a hurry for some reason. The glove they used as his pajamas – now fully adjusted to fit Shinichi, without the annoying safety pin – was already there, and once he was dressed, instead of going to the bedroom, Kid took him to the living room again.

"Good night, Arthur," he said, and he noticed the nervous tone in his voice. He went upstairs after that, and didn't emerge from there until the next morning.

Kid's behaviour didn't change. He prepared everything for Arthur, made sure that he would be fine while he was in school, but he was too stiff. The hug he gave him was short, his words absentminded. He left shortly after that, and didn't come back.

Shinichi just stared into nothing, wondering what was wrong when the news from the TV reached his ears.

"…the police received another message from Kaitou Kid. According to it he will take the Twins' smile tonight at 11 p.m…."

He had a really, really bad feeling about the upcoming heist.


	8. In which Shinichi is afraid of Kid

_Just a few more hours until it's Monday, ssssooo... I might as well upload this thing, right? (No, I wasn't absolutely giddy with excitement, how dare you.)_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

When Kaito went home that day, it was like the calm before the storm. Every word he said, every smile he flashed, and every hug he gave Shinichi was fake. Painfully, disturbingly, frighteningly fake. It seemed like there was a wall between Kid and the rest of the world, as he strode through the house with a frightening grace. The way he curled his lips was predatory – he was ready to devour the world that rested on his palms. It wasn't Poker Face anymore, it was an unbreakable mask made of steel, set in a permanent smile that sent chills down Shinichi's spine.

The whole house was cold despite the hot, unmoving air outside. With every glance at Kid, Shinichi had to wonder if the other boy was actually some vengeful spirit, a youkai, a demon, a monster. The madness that usually hid behind Kid's smiles during heists was like an aura now, dark and hostile, resting on Kaito's shoulders.

And Shinichi was scared, he had to admit with a shiver. Not wary like he usually was, not careful. He was actually afraid of letting the thief leave his sight, because he felt the same chills serial killers brought to him, and this was wrong. Kaitou Kid was supposed to be a troublesome, but mostly harmless fellow, not… whatever the guy standing in front of Shinichi was.

"How was your day?" Shinichi squeaked out, not even bothering to be mortified by his own voice anymore. He had to break the silence, and somehow, anyhow, get the old Kid back.

Kaito gave him a surprised look (Shinichi didn't blame him, that was probably the first time when Arthur actually started a conversation), but it barely lasted for a second. His face morphed into a smile, sweet and warm, but it was too much, too fake. Shinichi needed all his willpower not to choke on the imaginary honey he felt being forced down his throat.

"Great. I had a lot of fun today." His tone was just like his smile, a disgusting kind of sweet, but still, it was so undeniably Kid that Shinichi had to cast the idea that it was someone else. And something, his gut, probably, told Shinichi that Kid was, in fact, lying straight into his face, because beneath the sugary surface Arthur felt the tension, the anger, the storm. "I'm gonna make some food." Kaito said suddenly, and left him alone.

This was no good. Shinichi had a plan, but he needed a heist to make it real, to succeed. He was going to catch Kaitou Kid by sabotaging his heist and ruining his tricks. This is what he planned ever since that night when Kid foolishly took him in, too easily trusting, too kind, too… No. Enough. Shinichi chided himself for letting his thoughts wander off. He had to find a way to follow Kid, whether he had to hide in his pocket or cling to his cape. It didn't matter as long as he could catch him.

A plate clinking against the table stopped him in his thoughts. Kaito stood there, and he gave Arthur one of those overly sweet smiles again as he sat down next to him.

"Go on, eat. You must be hungry, Arthur." Shinichi didn't want to tell him that no, he wasn't, in fact, he had no appetite at that moment, because that could've pissed off Kid, and he wasn't supposed to do that. Not when the thief was his only lifeline. Not when he could be killed by his saviour any moment.

He took a bite of his mini-muffin, carefully glancing at Kid occasionally. The other boy only smiled at him, then turned to the TV, and watched some idol with an unimpressed expression.

As he felt the chocolate on his tongue, Shinichi couldn't hold back his smile. Even if it was only his cooking, at least the remains of the old Kaito were still around. There was still hope, he thought as his eyelids grew heavier with every passing second. Strange. He didn't feel sleepy a minute ago. A sweet smell reached his nose then, and dragged his further away from his consciousness. Shinichi felt himself panic: He had to, he needed to stay awake! He had to watch Kid! But, as the time went on, that hysteric part of his mind slowly, but surely drifted away, leaving a dazed Shinichi behind.

"Oh? Are you getting sleepy, Arthur?" Kid asked. The sweetness of his voice was still venomous in Shinichi's ears, but he barely registered it, as his vision began to fade out.

"Yeah…" he yawned, and his voice was nothing but a soft whisper, as he closed his eyes.

"Good."


	9. In which Shinichi remembers

_Tomorrow I might be a bit too busy, so I decided to upload this thing now. Piano exam on Friday, wish me luck, guys! ^^_

_By the waaay, anyone out there who watches Eurovision? I'm crazy about Australia's song, it's my favourite! What about you all?_

_Ah, I should stop babbling... Please enjoy!_

* * *

„Are you sure about this, Shinichi?" Professor Agasa asked. His face showed nothing but worry, and Shinichi felt a bit guilty for being the cause of such expression. But he was determined, ready to get back his body, his life, everything that has been taken from him.

"Yes," he said. His tone was calm, steady, as he held the small cup in his hand. He gave one last smile to the professor and to Haibara, who tried to mask her uneasiness, then drank the whole thing.

Nothing happened. Seconds passed, then a full minute. Nothing. Why? Shinichi glanced at Haibara, but judging from her expression, she had no idea either. Professor Agasa seemed to be clueless too for a while, but he was the first to speak.

"Looks like it didn't work…"

"Looks like it…" Haibara repeated in a monotone voice. "Perhaps the apotoxin already neutralized it."

"Are you kidding me?" Conan all but whined, as he sat down on the sofa with a disappointed grimace.

After that the professor and Haibara discussed the reasons why the antidote probably didn't work, but Shinichi was too busy with feeling sorry for himself to pay attention. This big "scientist talk" wasn't his thing anyway, not at 12 a.m., even if he knew a few things. In the end, they all just went to sleep, having concluded the whole thing as a failure. If Haibara was frustrated, she didn't show it, and Agasa was probably too sleepy to care. That left Conan alone with his helpless anger, as the chance to get back his old body was taken from him again.

The bad mood stayed with Shinichi even in the morning – he was the definition of the expression "grumpy." He couldn't be bothered to eat his breakfast, so he just picked up his things and left for school. He stomped all the way there, then threw his bag on the table and pretty much ignored everyone around him.

Whatever new mission the Shounen Tantei was collectively babbling about, it didn't interest him. He didn't even feel like going back to Ran's place, he headed to his own house instead. He wanted to throw a tantrum, he felt like acting like the child he now was, he wanted to break things. He was mad at the whole world, at the happy people smiling next to him, at the streets buzzing with life, at the Sun shining above him.

He saw red everywhere, but it took him minutes to realize that it wasn't because he was angry. Something was wrong with him, something was really, really wrong. Suddenly he felt the bile rise up in his throat, as his feet wobbled under him, and he stumbled into an alley. He collapsed against a wall, and as the bricks hit his head, pain ran through his whole body. He was positive his bones were melting, and if that wouldn't kill him, then there was the piercing feeling in his lungs. _Calm down, control yourself_, his brain ordered. It was no use. He started hyperventilating. His ribs broke one by one, slicing his insides. His heart tore itself apart. His spine was crushed under invisible weight, and he was in pain, it hurt like hell, but Shinichi was giddy with joy.

_It's the antidote_, his mind sang deliriously, and his head started spinning. _Just endure this and you'll get everything back. It'll be all yours again._

He fainted.

* * *

Shinichi woke up with a gasp, and sat up quickly. His head was spinning, and he was so, so disoriented. A full minute passed until he realized that it was just a dream, a memory. As he looked around, he realized that he was in the bedroom. Weird, he thought he fell asleep in the living room… Yes, and it happened when-

Kid! Where was he? Shinichi casted a quick glance on the clock – 1 a.m. So… he was back already? But where? The bed was empty, save for Shinichi and his pillow. An ominous feeling settled in Arthur's heart. What if something happened?

A gasp, followed by a muffled cough, could be heard. Shinichi raised his head high, holding his breath. It came from the bathroom. He nodded to himself – he could get there. As he stood up on his pillow, he heard more coughs, and his movements got faster, more frantic. He half-climbed, half-jumped down the bed, and winced when he felt his injured hand stinging. To his luck, the door of the bedroom wasn't entirely closed, so he could slip through the tiny gap, then he hurried to the bathroom. It wasn't too far away, just a few steps for a normal human, but… well, Shinichi wasn't exactly a normal human at that moment.

He hesitated only for a moment before he entered, but he felt himself freeze right then. In front of him laid Kaitou Kid, gasping for dear life, covered in blood.


	10. In which Kaito is careless and caring

_So, to make it clear: updates come twice in one week, on Monday and on Thursday._

_As always, thanks you all for your support, it really means a lot!_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

Maybe the neon lights did it, or maybe his white clothes, but Kid looked so pale, so weak, so fragile. Like a dry leaf, ready to be blown away by the wind. His chest heaved, and his breath left him with a weird, high pitched sound. A broken bird, that's how he looked like. Slumped against the bathtub, legs bent awkwardly, shaky hands on the cold tiles. If a death god appeared in front of him, it wouldn't be a surprise. He very much look liked he was on the verge of dying.

And yet, with the stubbornness only Kid could have, his every breath was a raised middle finger to death, because he was still there, he was still alive. His lips were curled into a pained, but manic smile, one that seemed to scream "Is this all you can do to me?" He should've been pathetic, pitiable, but Shinichi kept staring at him in awe, as one would look at an old sculpture, broken, but still beautiful.

"Kid…" he found himself whispering, and he was surprised by how quiet he was. He expected himself to shout, to scream at the state the thief was in, but… he couldn't seem to raise his voice any higher. That would've broken the trance he was in.

As he heard Arthur's voice, Kid turned his head, slowly, and only with a wince that he couldn't hide, but as he spotted his little guest, a smile, a genuine smile appeared on his face.

"Hey. Can't sleep?" he croaked out. Oh, how much Shinichi wanted to throw accusations at him…! _You drugged me, you bastard!_, he wanted to shout. He already took a breath to do it, when Kaito started coughing again.

"Kid…" Arthur said again. This time, however, the thief frowned at him.

"My name is Kaito. Didn't I tell you that?" Shinichi just stood there, the same frustration he felt when Kaito told him his name filled him again. He choose not to say a word, otherwise he might've said something that would put his identity in danger. Kid just sighed. "Couldn't you… call me that instead? I'd love to be nothing more than just "Kaito" right now." After that he turned away from Shinichi. He chose to stare at the wall instead, but with such a sad expression, that it made Arthur want to break something, or someone, possibly the one who did all this to Kid. _But that wouldn't help him_, Shinichi reminded himself. _Not right now._

"We should… we should call an ambulance…" Arthur said. Maybe he would've run through the whole house just to reach the telephone, but Kid stopped him, as he raised his hands.

"Yeah, yeah, and we might as well call the police, don't you think?" he smiled wryly. "It sure would be convenient to capture me right now, when I can't really fight back." He glanced at Arthur, and when he saw how dejected he looked, Kid added, "But hey. I appreciate the thought. Thank you, Arthur. I… didn't want to make you worry."

"Is that why you drugged me?" Shinichi murmured, meeting Kaito's eyes with a frown. The other boy only smiled at him.

"Yes, that was the plan. Also… I had a feeling that you'd follow me, if I didn't." His smile grew wider when Arthur averted his eyes. "Looks like I was right."

"It's still a stupid reason," Shinichi pouted slightly.

"True, true." Kid nodded. "Sorry." And the smile he flashed was truly genuine then. "Though… this won't do."

"Huh?" By the time Arthur raised his hand, Kaito was already bracing himself on the edge of the bathtub, as he tried to stand up. "Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Arthur shouted, but… his voice… his voice was weird. Deeper than it was before. Almost like the voice he had before he shrunk.

Kid seemed to notice that too – for a few moments he only stared at Shinichi with wide eyes. His chest still heaved, the same high pitched noises leaving his throat. _This is it_, Arthur thought. _He found out._ But in that moment Kid's knees buckled under him, and he fell down on the floor. With a growl he tried again, this time fully focusing on himself instead of Arthur. Finally he managed to stand up, even though his legs were shaking. And then, to Shinichi's horror, leaned down again, though with a wince, and picked his little guest up.

"C'mon, you need to sleep." With that, he left the bathroom with a very dissatisfied Shinichi on his palm.

"What do you think you're doing? You're covered in blood! You're injured! We need to take care of that!" Shinichi shouted. He couldn't really think about this voice, not when that moron who carried him was so, so careless. He couldn't even stand straight for God's sake! He had to support himself with his other hand, constantly leaning against the wall and stopping for a breath, yet he smiled at Arthur like everything was alright.

"Nope. I need to take care or that. You, instead of worrying, need to rest." They arrived at the bedroom. Kid couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh when he opened the door, even though he knew it was far from over. Just those four steps he had to take to his bed without the support of a wall seemed difficult. Not to mention what would happen to Arthur if he fell over – he might squish him under his own weight! He still gathered all his determination, and, though he wobbled a bit, reached the bed.

He put Arthur on his pillow as gently as he could. Shinichi was tempted to just run up on his arm, and cling to him to make sure Kid didn't do anything stupid, while he fought the mental image of himself being a squirrel. All his will to resist left him though, when Kid flashed another smile, the brightest one that day.

"Just stay here, okay? I'll be back soon." Kaito kissed the top of Arthur's head before he left.

Shinichi decided to just hide his red cheeks under the blanket.


	11. In which Shinichi watches Kaito sleeping

Footsteps. A warm hand touching his head. More footsteps. Sheets rustling next to him.

Shinichi was slowly dragged out of his dreams – maybe it was a good thing, since they included pictures of him as a chihuahua. When he opened his eyes, it was still a bit dark in the room, but dawn crawled closer and closer. He wasn't fully awake, if the swaying of the ceiling above his head was anything to go by, but he didn't really mind. It was warm, comfortable, his pillow just right. He felt like he was at home. Minutes passed, and the first rays of sunshine caressed his cheek, while he laid there, staring into nothing. Even if it was early, he felt way too drowsy – _maybe the aftereffects of the drug?_

_Wait. Drug…? Kaito! What happened to him?_

He became aware of the soft breaths next to him, and as he turned his head, Kaito laid right there. His hair covered his left eye, and his eyebrows were drawn into a small frown. He slept on his left side, and barely moved – when he did, he winced in his sleep, and returned to his previous position quickly. _He's still in pain_, Shinichi thought to himself. He still looked so pale, too. _Damn, he should be in a hospital right now!_

Before he noticed, Arthur already stood up, and walked over to Kaito quietly and placed his palm on the thief's neck, to feel his pulse. _Such a faint heartbeat!_ Shinichi quietly fumed, scoffing at the carelessness of Kid. He pulled back his hand carefully – waking him up wouldn't be good. He took a moment to wince at his own thoughts, as he was more worried about Kid not getting enough sleep than himself being exposed. But he couldn't leave yet. Something… something was there, waiting for him to notice. He had a bad feeling about it. He never felt like this, only when he was at a crime scene, looking for clues.

And there was a clue, even if a small one, but it made his blood run cold: a faint red mark on Kaito's neck, shaped like a rope. He didn't know why he didn't notice it earlier, but… this wasn't good. _Someone actually tried to… Someone almost succeeded…_ Arthur felt sick, so sick, just from thinking about it. Of course, he knew that there were people out there who attacked Kid, even before he started living with him, he's seen the thief stumble and wince too many times when he chased after him, but… actually seeing marks, the proof that it happened? And yet there he was, that idiotic thief, dancing around on rooftops, stealing gems, though only God knows why, and refused to stop, even when he was clearly in danger.

"You're such an idiot…" Shinichi whispered, as he put his palm on Kaito's cheek. "Why are you doing this?"

And Kid stirred at his words, as his frown got bigger.

"Tantei-kun?" he slurred in his sleep._ Uh oh._ That was Shinichi's cue to leave. In a blink of an eye he was on his pillow, hiding under the sheets again, while his heart was ready to jump out of his chest.

* * *

"Arthur?" Kaito peeked into the bedroom. Indeed, there was a lump on the pillow that seemed to shift at his voice. "I can't believe you're still asleep." he chuckled, and walked closer to the bed with a slight limp. He lifted the covers, and caressed Arthur's hair softly. "Hey, wake up. Breakfast's ready."

"Ngh… Just… five more minutes, mom…" he mumbled, clearly still asleep. Kaito smiled again.

"Alright. Five more minutes… Shinichi."


	12. In which Kaito asks questions

Now, while Shinichi had no idea what happened during the last heist, he knew that something had changed. The most noticeable thing was the way Kaito always had this weird, knowing smile when he was talking to him – and it wasn't the "I know what you had for breakfast" kind of knowing, it was the "I've known you all your life" kind, and it creeped Shinichi out. But that wasn't his biggest problem.

He should've known, he should've expected that one day Kid would ask questions. There was no way that the thief would be satisfied with simply a name when he took a pocket sized human in his house. He would want to know things like what happened to him, where was he before, and so on. Kid probably wanted to wait until he told him everything by himself, but lost his patience. Shinichi couldn't blame him. He had to wait for two weeks already.

Two weeks during which Shinichi couldn't find neither evidence about Kuroba Kaito being Kid, nor a way to contact at least the professor. He couldn't climb on the furniture by himself, due to his size and hand injury, and Kid never put him near the phone. Asking would've been too suspicious. Thus he spent these days with being frustrated with himself and trying to keep up with the thief. He almost got used to the latter, and completely forgot that he had some explaining to do.

Kid, however, didn't forget, and choose probably the worst moment to ask: they were in the bathtub, bubbles bigger than Arthur himself flying everywhere, while Shinichi was sitting on a rubber duck. He was mortified by how much he didn't mind it.

"Okay, I'll ask again. What are you?" This was actually his third attempt, since after asking him twice Shinichi still refused to give an answer. He sometimes averted his eyes, sometimes just gulped nervously, and mostly stayed quiet. And despite all that, when he occasionally looked back at Kaito, he saw no anger, not even impatience on his face, just that annoyingly knowing smile, that wasn't quite a smirk, yet he felt like he was mocked.

"I'm a human." Shinichi said after long moments of silence. That much was true at least.

"Then why are you so small?" Kaito asked with an amused huff, as his smile grew wider.

"Because…" He averted his eyes again. What should he say? That he drank some poison and it shrunk him? (Not to mention that it was supposed to be the antidote to a different poison.) In the end, he went just with that, just to see the look on the thief's face. "I drank something and it made me this small."

"Uh huh." To his surprise, Kid didn't look disbelieving, more like thoughtful, as he scratched his head before he asked: "Like a potion?"

Shinichi blinked. Potion…? Well, you could put it that way, but the thought just reminded him of some RPG game. "Sure, like a potion." he said, shrugging. He could play along, if Kid wanted to imagine him as some video game hero. "A witch made me a potion, and-"

"Say no more!" Kid exclaimed, hands slamming down on the water, making Shinichi almost fly away with his rubber duck. Even when the waves finally died down, his excitement didn't fade, and he looked at him with sparkles in his eyes. "You want to get your original form back, right?" If Shinichi ever wondered how golden retrievers looked as humans, he got his answer right then.

"Uh… yes?"

"Then I know just the right person for you!" Yup, definitely a golden retriever.

"You do?" Shinichi asked. His eyes were probably impossibly wide now, as he stared at the thief with disbelief.

"Sure I do! You said a witch made that potion for you, right? Then we only need another witch!"

"Ah, I see…" He expected a laugh, the thief telling him that it was a joke, but even with the childlike excitement on his face he didn't seem to be joking. Oh boy… He thought that Kid was a clever person, but maybe he was just plain insane after all…

"Tomorrow we'll go to her, okay?"

"Y-yeah…" He wasn't sure he wanted to find out who Kid's witch was.


	13. In which Conan is in love

_Akako-sama deserves her grand entry, and as you can see, I tried. (Let's not bring up that I failed, okay?)_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

It appeared that the time has come for Edogawa Conan to fall so deeply in love that he would be beyond saving. And boy, was he completely enchanted. Not that he knew who his newfound love was, after all a day ago he didn't even believe she existed. He didn't believe in witches.

But there she was, dressed in black and red, with a red rose in her hair (Kaito put it there, the show-off), but he couldn't really deny how pretty she was. No, pretty wasn't even close. The girl in front of him was… beautiful, gorgeous… He wanted to come up with a dozen of adjectives, but none of those would be fitting enough. But he so wanted to call her by something! Possibly her name, if it wasn't too impolite from him. Especially since… her first impression of him wasn't probably too good.

It all started with Kid landing on top of a huge mansion in the middle of the night – no surprise there yet. At that time Arthur didn't quite know what to expect, given how odd Kaito was – he kept saying nice things about this witch (and how true they were, Conan admitted with a sigh), but his hands were shaking, his steps were unsteady, and just in general he was unusually clumsy. And the odd things went on, as just a moment after they landed, an old man appeared on the rooftop, saying that they've been waiting for them already. Arthur wanted to ask a bunch of questions at that, like who are "they", did they know that Kaito would come, and so on… but Kid silenced him.

"Also… from now on, I'm not Kaito, got it?" he added quietly, after the old man disappeared behind the old door leading to the roof. He didn't even wait for an answer, but marched forward with puffed up chest and a slightly more confident gait. And thus, they entered the mansion.

It was dark, it was creepy, it was everything Arthur imagined it to be. The corridors had no light aside from the candles or the moonlight that filtered through the dark glasses of the windows. In the darkness he could vaguely see the designs on the carpets on the wall: they all looked terrifying with their large variety of demons and other creatures Arthur couldn't even name.

And then they arrived in front of a large, wooden door. The old man opened it and ushered them inside. It wasn't much brighter, but at least it wasn't like a cave either. Just a small salon with even more candles, a small table, a big red couch, and a sofa in the middle of it. And of course, the witch herself.

She didn't look old, in fact, she was almost too young for a witch – she was around Shinichi's age. Her black hair glittered in the warm light of the candles around her, while her red eyes had a mesmerizing glint – Conan could've stared at her forever. And he kind of did, because by the time he noticed himself, both Kaito and she gave him funny looks. And even then, even in that moment he couldn't pull himself together. No, because his brain chose exactly that time to just fry itself from the girl's beautiful smile, and in the end, he could only breathe out:

"I love you so much…" And he said that while looking straight into her eyes. Normally he would've fainted from embarrassment right after that, but it seemed like fried brain cured shyness like nothing else in the world. That was probably the reason why he didn't quite register Kaito's annoyed groan, only the soft laugh from the witch.

"Of course you do…" Kaito grumbled and put him on the table. And then he, the bastard, led the girl away to the farthest corner of the room to talk. Not only they were too far away, but suddenly a greenish-blueish orb appeared around them too, and from then on, Arthur couldn't hear a single thing they said. He had to stick to guessing from their expressions and gestures.

He gritted his teeth when Kaito began his usual Prince Charming act. Roses, roses, always the roses, and that annoying, alluring smile he had. He got even angrier when he saw how it affected the girl – a small, barely visible blush and a smile. And her smile just grew wider, as she shook her head fondly, while Kid used all the charm he had, on the verge of being melodramatic and ridiculous. And then it all changed when she pointed at herself. They switched roles – Kaito was the one who shook his head, and the girl did the gesturing, though in a fairly calmer manner. Kid's blush was visible even in the dim light, and if Arthur couldn't guess the reason before, he found out soon enough.

Kaito leaned closer, and so did the girl, and then… they just kissed. Arthur's hands clenched into fists as he watched them, because it was so damn frustrating to see how their lips seemingly fit perfectly together. How she put her hands on Kaito's shoulder. Eventually they separated, the witch with a dreamy sigh and Kid with a relieved groan, and then the orb around them disappeared too.

"I'm counting on you, then," Kaito croaked out, then walked over to the couch and all but collapsed there.

"Oh, I won't disappoint you." She smiled. "Just like how you didn't disappoint me." With that, she disappeared behind the door and left the two boys alone.

Arthur kept shooting death glares at him, but the thief was too busy with playing dead to notice.

"I hate you," Conan said in the end. He didn't know why, but when he received no answer, it only annoyed him further. "I really, really hate you."

"I see."

"If you were on fire and I had a glass of water…"

"You'd drink it, right? Yeah, yeah… got it." And then it happened. Kaito let out a small cough, then another, and another. After mere seconds he looked like he would choke right then and there, then collapse on the floor. He raised his hand to his mouth, and when he lowered it again, Arthur saw the dark, red spots on his white glove – he let himself smile at that.

"Hah, she probably cursed you for kissing her like that. Serves you right, you had no right-"

He had to stop. The look Kaito gave him was first disbelieving, then hurt. It didn't last long, Arthur barely could catch a glimpse of those emotions before the other boy smiled at him, his Poker Face effective even when his breath was ragged.

"Haha, I… I know it's not the real you. So… it doesn't hurt. You can taunt me, but it won't hurt." For a few moments he just looked at Arthur, before he pulled a white little box out of his pocket. He put his palm under it and shook it three times: one, two, three pills. He swallowed them with a grimace, then laid down on the couch.

Arthur didn't care – he just wanted to see her again.

* * *

After about an hour, the witch appeared again. By that time Kaito switched from laying down to nervously pacing back and forth, while Conan nearly fell asleep.

"It's finished," she said, then left again. Kaito picked up Arthur and followed her. They walked through long and dark corridors, and it seemed like they'd never reach their goal. They just wandered further and further, until there was no moonlight slipping under their feet, and only the flickering candles led the way.

Kaito held Arthur close to his chest, so close that he had trouble with breathing. Still, every time he wanted to tell the thief to "let him breathe at least, for God's sake!", the hurt expression on the other boy's face flashed in front of him, and he choose to stay quiet instead.

Minutes later they seemed to reach their destination: a chamber with dark, rusty iron doors.

"Be honoured, I don't let just anyone enter this place." The witch smiled at Kaito, then pushed the doors open. They gave in with a loud creak, and revealed the room inside.

If Arthur had to remind himself every moment to not think in clichés, while he was at Kaito's place, now he had to realize that the girl's place was nothing but cliché – magic circles drawn with chalk on the floor, goblets with some… dark liquid in them gleaming in candlelight, suspicious bottles in the back of the room with dead animals and other things (was that an eye?) inside, old, dusty books on tables and bookshelves… And Arthur could've sworn he heard a cat somewhere – it was probably black, too.

"Well then, don't be shy, come in." The witch chuckled, and flashed one of THOSE smiles. The ones that could light up everyone's heart, cure cancer and save probably the whole universe in Conan's opinion. The problem was that she didn't smiled at him, but at Kaito – the thief earned a small, but well-aimed punch to his chest for that. Kaito didn't say a word, just put him on a table.

The girl handed Arthur a tiny cup, and said: "This should return you to your original form. Drink it, don't taste it, then put the cup down quickly, because after that you might have to focus more on standing and breathing."

Well, the liquid he was supposed to drink looked just as promising as her words. Disgusting colour? Check. Weird oily bubbles from the bottom? Check? Terrible smell? Check. Conan let himself briefly wonder why all potions had to look like rotten rat intestines, then drank the whole thing at once. But, as he realized, he wasn't quick enough – he felt the bile-like taste on his tongue, and he was close to just throwing it up.

"I told you not to taste it," she chided him, then took the cup with her. Arthur sat down, and seconds later he was already in pain. But for some weird reason he thought that this pain wasn't enough – it wasn't that "bones melting, organs tearing" kind of sensation he got from both the poison and the antidote. This was dull, like a bad headache that slowly spread through his whole body.

"What did you give him?" Kaito asked.

"A simple revealing potion. You called so suddenly and couldn't tell me exactly what made him shrink, so this is all I could do. But it might just work. His real form is hidden, but all we need to do is unveiling it. This is what a revealing potion does."

Arthur gasped. _This wasn't good. This really wasn't good._ He was foolish, not thinking about it earlier, because he just went with the flow, but… Having his real form revealed meant going back to Conan, or even worse, to Shinichi. What will he do if Kid really find out who he is?

That was the last thought his mind could register before the pain got stronger in his body. Still not quite like the antidote, but just enough to shut down his brain. He only saw dark and bright spots and heard muffled noises as his thumping heartbeat took over his ears. He could only barely feel someone gently touching him and laying him down on the table. He was probably gasping, too, like a fish on a dry shore, but he felt no air in his lungs. And then… it stopped. The pain, as suddenly as it came, disappeared, leaving Arthur drained, tired, and confused.

He was still on top of the table, felt the odd grooves of the wood under him just the way they were before, and everything was still terrifyingly large around him… He didn't change. He didn't return. He was still just Arthur.

"Well, looks like he didn't get bigger, but at least-," the witch started.

"You're right, it didn't work." Kaito interrupted her. "Now… release him. That charm just messes with his head, he doesn't need that right now."

"Oh my… looks like thieves are not quite used to have things stolen from them, even if it's a heart." She smiled, then murmured something, before she continued. "Should I… give you up?"

Kaito wordlessly picked up Arthur and held him to his chest. From then on, he couldn't see a thing, just the thief's clothes up close. But at that moment it bothered him more that he felt confused: the girl's voice, while it still was nice, it didn't feel quite as magical, while the burning hate he suddenly felt for Kaito faded.

"Well, maybe I won't. It would be a trouble if I let a little beansprout like him win you over." She spoke again, and Kaito stepped closer to her.

"As you wish, Princess. But I can't promise you anything." There was a hint of a smile in his voice, as he gave her another rose, a white one this time, then turned towards the door. "Good night."

Her laughter followed them through the hallway for a while, but it quieted down soon enough. Arthur felt himself doze off in Kaito's warm hands, and after a few minutes he was already asleep.


	14. In which Shinichi makes a discovery

_Early update because of reasons._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

When he woke up, Shinichi found himself in Kaito's room completely alone, in the middle of the bed, on his pillow, covered with two very warm blankets. Judging by the way sunrays filled the room and the simple fact that Kaito was nowhere in sight, it was still morning, a bit after 7 a.m. – the thief was willing to leave him alone for only three things – school, heists and preparations, and the mysterious call of the neighbour every morning and evening for breakfast and dinner. The first two were out – it was Sunday, no school, and even if he sent a notice and actually managed to keep it a secret from Arthur, it was too early for anything. _Breakfast it is, then_, Shinichi thought.

He looked around, wondering about what to do, when he saw something interesting – one of the drawers of Kid's desk was pulled out. White sheets of paper were peeking out, some had clumsy, others had artistic handwriting on it, and there was the occasional flash of neon green, blue, pink and yellow, shorter and longer lines drawn with highlighters. Shinichi grinned. It was nothing much, but finally he had something he could look through, finally there was a chance he would find something.

He kicked the blankets off of himself, stood up, then marched to the edge of the bed, the one facing towards the desk. One last look at his still bandaged palm, and that was it. He half-jumped, half-climbed down – it went a lot better than expected. After a blink and a disbelieving look at the distance between the floor and the top of the bed he remembered the reason. He already did this once. That evening when Kid… when Kaito was… _Don't think about that. Don't._

He hurried over to the desk, and set to climbing. The drawers weren't too big, the wood had odd little grooves, the edges were easy to hold onto… He could do this.

And indeed he could, even though he didn't feel alright while doing so, because his joints shifted oddly, his limbs were misplaced somehow, and his hand stung every time he moved upwards. Still he reached the opened drawer, second from the top, and stood on the edge. Once quick glance at the contents altogether was all he had time for, before he reached for the piece of paper in front of him. And he stopped short right there. The bandage on his hand, a dark blue ribbon thoroughly washed and disinfected, had dark, wet blotches on it. Shinichi swore under his breath, but choose to ignore it.

The first paper turned out to be useless – nothing more than messy math notes and distracted scribbles. Under that sat a disturbingly messed up biology text book, that, when Arthur opened it, revealed the scribbled over images of fish and a crying emoji. More papers, notes, documents, none of those important, and more importantly, not evidence, and Shinichi was getting impatient. He didn't have too much time left.

A slightly darker paper with ragged edges caught his attention. A blurry picture cut in half, and small, neatly printed rows of words next to it – scandal, the popular idol, Hoshino Rika, caught with a middle-aged- _No. This wasn't it. What matters is… on the other side._ Shinichi carefully flipped the paper, and then… A pair of blue eyes, barely hidden behind too big glasses stared back at him. He read through the article in a frenzy: Conan… missing… two weeks… if anyone saw…

People were looking for him… He disappeared without a single sign, he still couldn't contact anyone, of course they were looking for him! Ran, the professor, Shounen Tantei… and then there was… there was…

"What do you THINK you're doing, Shinichi?" He spun around, towards the door – _there was no sound, how did he…_ \- and lost his balance. He watched as the papers ruffled, as the drawer got farther from him, watched the ceiling, and he waited for hitting the floor, breaking his spine.

He landed on a warm, calloused palm with a yelp, apparently still alive. Fingers curled around him, imprisoning him. He looked up with a frightened gasp – Kid's gaze was dangerously empty. Considering how he always looked like his lips were permanently curled, this neutral expression looked more terrifying than any crazed look a murderer could give him.

"What am I supposed to do with you now, hm?" Kid asked, and tightened his fingers around him. His tone was just as neutral as his face, not even a hint of emotion, not even in his eyes. No glint of mischief – a version of the Poker Face Shinichi definitely never wanted to see. "Sniffing around, huh?" Despite his words, he didn't sound mocking at all. He just tightened his fingers again, adding slightly more pressure, while Shinichi felt the blood leave his face. "Were you looking for evidence?" He gulped under Kid's heavy stare. The fingers held him even stronger now, though never enough to hurt him, just to remind him that there was no way he could escape. It worked perfectly. "You want to prove to the police that I'm Kid, right?" He took in a shuddering breath, eyes never leaving Kid, not even for a second, because only God knows what might happen to him otherwise.

And then Kaito started giggling. Actually giggling, face going just a tiny bit pink, eyes shining, cheeks puffing up from his huge grin. _That's it, he lost it. He's gonna kill me now._

"Hahaha, your face… y-your face… you should see it, hahaha..." His fingers loosened just a tiny bit, not quite letting him go, but at least letting him breathe, while his laughter echoed in the room. "And that look, oh… you went green for a second, Shinichi, oh gods, this is hilarious…"

_Wait. Wait a minute._

"You called me…?"

"By your name, Shinichi." He smiled, giving him the most innocent look that was humanly possible, while he drew out every syllable. Kaito stood up after that, still holding him in his hand, and went straight to the bathroom. There he put him down right in front of the mirror. "I guess there's no use in hiding it. You'd find out sooner or later anyway."

And as he looked into the mirror, he saw Kudou Shinichi, with all his current 15 centimetres. He wasn't Conan. He wasn't Arthur.

"So you knew," he croaked out, and watched as Kid's smile got wider.

"I did."


	15. In which Kaitou Kid is unreasonable

_Well, this took a lot longer than it should've. Not loosing my touch yet, it's just that the universe was desperate not to let me write today._

_Aaanyways... Here's another chapter about... well. Things._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

"How long?" Shinichi asked, still watching Kid in the mirror.

"I'd like to say I noticed quickly, but… that would be a lie." He smiled sheepishly at him, but he didn't move other than that. He just rested his hands on the table, far enough so that Shinichi wouldn't feel threatened, close enough to grab him if he decided to run. "I think I was distracted by how small you are." That earned him a dirty glare from Shinichi. "But it looks like Akako's potion worked. It revealed what you were hiding." He smiled even wider now, but it wasn't mocking.

"Akako's… the witch?"

"Yes. Koizumi Akako. We go to the same school."

"You have a witch in your school?" Shinichi asked incredulously. No wonder she looked so young then, she was around his age too.

"Yes, well… not your usual high schooler hobby, huh?" Kaito shrugged. "Not that I'm any better."

"You aren't." Shinichi agreed, and choose to watch himself in the mirror with a frown. It was so surreal, seeing himself like this. He tried not to wince at how narcissistic it sounded, but he missed seeing his own face. Being Conan had its merits, but it was more of a limitation, a hindrance usually. So now, as he raised a slightly trembling palm to touch his jaw, and watched his mirror image do the same, he was a bit overwhelmed. Kid didn't rush him, just went on with the conversation in a casual tone.

"It's ridiculous, really. A thief, the daughter of the inspector chasing said thief, a witch, and… Do you know Hakuba?"

"Oh my God, he's there too?" Shinichi looked back at Kaito with wide eyes.

"Yes, he is. As if I needed another person suspecting me, really…" Kaito sighed, but his gaze and smile had some fondness. And then, as if he's seen a ghost, he paled. "Your hand… it's bleeding."

"Huh? Oh yeah, as I was climbing." Shinichi said as he looked down on his palm and the bloody ribbon on it. He simply shrugged, it was no big deal after all.

"'Oh yeah' is all you can say?" Kaito asked before he burst out. "Are you out of your mind? Don't you realize how dangerous it is for you to bleed? Even one drop is too much, but you soaked that ribbon completely!"

"Look, I'm sorry about the ribbon, okay? I didn't want to-"

"You just don't get it, do you?" He buried his face in his hands for a moment, before he stormed out of the bathroom. Shinichi just stood there, dumbfounded. Well, this was weird. He expected things like being stomped on, being cut up, being hit until he was covered with bruises, but not this. He thought that this mother hen-like behaviour from Kaito would only last as long as he believed that Shinichi was Arthur. As long as he could play the role of his pet, Kaito would be entertained, would find some childlike happiness in looking after him, then it would slowly fade away or reach an abrupt end in case his identity was discovered. But here he was, fussing over Shinichi, getting worried, frustrated because he was bleeding. This wasn't normal. This wasn't like Kaitou Kid at all.

Speak of devil, Kaito returned with a clean ribbon and antiseptic. After he set those on the table, he grabbed Shinichi's hand – a little too hard, and Shinichi couldn't hide his wince, but he only received an absentminded apology for that. As he took off the bloody ribbon and saw the reopened cut on his hand, Kaito's eyes darkened, and he cursed.

And again, like many times before, Shinichi got that weird feeling, as his wound was cleaned and bandaged again, as he watched Kaito's own hands shaking, and warmth spread through his chest, even though his mind screamed with embarrassment. This was so domestic, it all looked so natural, like Shinichi was supposed to be this small and Kaito was supposed to look after him, like there was no other way their lives could've went on. Like this was fate.

* * *

"So, there's peach, apple, tomato, cheese and some chocolate on the plate. Be careful with peach, it can make a mess. I'll leave the TV on for you, but there's your pillow if you want to sleep. But! Don't sleep without a blanket, you'll get cold. And, for God's sake, please don't climb anywhere!" Kaito was getting ready to leave, though he still went on and on about his instructions. Shinichi already gave up on answering, and choose to just nod every once in a while, to show that he wasn't completely spacing out. He was pretty close to it though. "Hey, are you listening?" Kaito asked, and waved his hand on front of Shinichi's eyes. "Promise me you won't climb anywhere."

"Huh?"

"Please."

"O-okay. I promise."

"Good." Kaito smiled and ruffled Shinichi's hair, just like when he was still Arthur. "After I get back, we'll… try to come up with something, okay? Like, how to contact your family and how to explain this. Or at least tell a really good and believable lie." And then Kaito hugged Shinichi. This wouldn't have been strange, if he didn't know about his identity, but he made it pretty clear that he found out. So, why the hug? Why this kindness? Shinichi didn't get it. Even if Kid wasn't quite as horrible as he wanted to believe, this was too much, too nice for a rival that only used him and lied to him.

And still, as Kaito held him to his chest, hands gentle, like he was holding a bird with broken wings, there seemed to be no malice, no anger, not even the slightest hint of annoyance. Just kindness.

"I'll be back soon, okay?" he murmured, his breath ghosting over Shinichi's head, as he leaned down and pressed a light kiss on his forehead. "Be good. Bye." And without another word, he put him on the couch and left.

"I don't get you, Kaitou Kid." Shinichi mumbled, touching his forehead with trembling fingers. His face must've been red like Kid's roses.


	16. In which Shinichi has mixed feelings

_Early update again because of reasons._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

When Kaito returned, he had two huge boxes of chocolate ice cream with him. One got thrown into the fridge, the other landed on the table in front of the couch, along with a big spoon. Shinichi could only stare as the other boy sat down next to him with a huff, then started eating like he hasn't seen food in weeks.

"What's wrong with you?" Shinichi asked quietly.

"I was thinking."

"About?"

"Your situation."

"Oh."

Awkward silence settled between them. Well, it was only awkward for Shinichi, since Kaito was still busy with eating ice cream like there was no tomorrow. He was scowling too, and maybe he would've looked serious if his cheeks weren't puffed like a squirrel's. That was probably the reason why, despite hiding under his blanket on the other side of the couch and feeling absolutely hopeless with the state he was in, Shinichi had to laugh.

First, it was a snort. Then came the shaking of his shoulders, and the way his lungs just couldn't take air in, while his face got redder with every passing second. And then he just burst out, his laughter loud and somewhat ragged from the lack of air, but happy. He only laughed harder when he imagined Kaito with fluffy squirrel ears and tail. It went on for minutes, though Shinichi felt like he'd been doing it for hours. When he finally stopped, he felt strangely self-conscious, and as he looked at Kaito, he realized why: the thief was completely starry-eyed.

"W-what is it?" Shinichi asked, as he pulled the blanket up to his nose.

"This is the first time I heard you laugh like that…" He sounded breathless, and his cheeks were tinted with pink.

"Come on…" he mumbled, and choose to just bury his face in the blanket completely.

The silence didn't feel that awkward anymore, as they sat next to each other, Shinichi's problem forgotten for a while.

* * *

"I-I… I think I can bathe alone…" Shinichi croaked out, stubbornly avoiding Kaito's gaze.

After they got over Kid's apparent stress-eating issues and Shinichi's laughter, the two of them fell asleep on the couch while watching a mildly interesting dorama. They had no idea how it happened, but by the time they woke up, Kaito was sleeping on his back, with Shinichi cradled to his chest. They both just laughed it off, and had dinner – for once, Kaito ate at home for some reason.

And then he just had to ruin it, when he picked up Shinichi (like he usually did) and took him to the bathroom.

"But how? You… you could drown and then-" Kaito was babbling, doing wild, overdramatic gestures with his hands, and he would've had ranted for hours, if he hadn't noticed the way Shinichi was blushing, looking away, hands awkwardly joined behind his back. Wordlessly, he seemed to ask: "Please, don't embarrass me even more." He nodded.

"Stay here" he said, then left him alone in the bathroom.

"This is ridiculous. I am ridiculous." Shinichi gritted his teeth. He felt humiliated – all his life, solving cases, outsmarting culprits, chasing a dangerous organisation, it all led to this: being treated as a pet. He was unable to survive alone, and he resembled a hamster more than a human. And he couldn't even be mad at Kaito, the guy just tried to take care of him, in his own awkward, overprotective way. It would've been easier if the thief wanted to humiliate him on purpose – then he could direct his anger at someone.

"Say, Kid," he started when the other boy returned, and ignored the way he flinched when Shinichi didn't call him by his name, "why did you save me?"

"I… had a feeling that you were someone I need to look after." He put a wide, but not tall mug on the table, along with the glove Shinichi used as his pajama, a tiny towel, and an even smaller bell. "Turns out I was right." he added under his breath.

"And that gut feeling was… enough for you?" Shinichi asked incredulously.

"It was."

"You're insane" he hissed. Kaito chuckled at that.

"That shouldn't even surprise you anymore, Tantei-kun." Before Shinichi could've said something to that, he turned away, and filled the mug with warm water. "You should be able to climb into this without problem. The towel is there, make sure you dry yourself properly. I brought you pajama too. If you're finished, just signal with that bell. You can yell too, if you want that. I'll be outside."

After he left, Shinichi seriously thought about just drowning himself in the water. Luckily, or unluckily for him, his mind choose exactly that moment to paint a pastel coloured picture of Kaito with something he could only describe as "kicked puppy face". _Damn, will he make a face like this if he finds me floating in this mug?_ He decided to stay alive for a bit longer. The water seemed to wash away some of his worries, anyway.

When he was finished, he rang the bell, and not even a second later Kaito was already there.

"So, how was it?" he asked with something like hope in his eyes. Shinichi had no idea what he was hoping for.

"It was good, I guess. Nice." The hope all but vanished from Kaito's eyes at that, but after a blink his Poker Face was already set in place, flawless as always.

"Then we should do it like this from now on." The thief picked him up, and went to the bedroom.

Suddenly, the images of that night flashed in front of Shinichi's eyes. It's been less than a week ago, he thought. Yes, just a few days passed, and he could still remember being held in bloodied fingers, the ragged breath above him, the way Kid stumbled down the corridor. It was enough to make him clutch Kaito's thumb a bit harder.

"Good night, Ar… Shinichi." It was his turn to blush, though it was barely visible, and he quickly turned away and went to take a shower after he put Shinichi on his pillow.

* * *

Kaito seemed to be comfortable. He still laid on his side, and didn't move too much, but as he slept with his hands under his head, he looked peaceful. Shinichi envied him for that, as he couldn't stay still for more than a couple of seconds. He turned to his right, to his left, he laid on his stomach, then on his back, and then on his right again. Sleep eluded him, and he was left with a strange, warm feeling in his chest, that increased tenfold when he looked at the other side of the bed.

"Hnn… why… aren't ya sleepin'…" Kaito slurred, as he blinked at Shinichi, trying to get his messy bangs away from his face a bit.

"I can't."

"An' why is that?"

"Well… isn't this weird? I used to chase you on rooftops, and now I'm sleeping in your b-bed. How are you so calm?" He didn't even notice how his voice was an octave higher.

"This is what you've been worried about?" Kaito laughed softly and smiled at him. "I'm calm only because you're safe." He reached out to ruffle Shinichi's hair. "No matter where you are or what you do, in the end, you're still Kudou Shinichi, and that won't change. Even if you wear glasses. Even if I can hold you in one palm. Stop worrying." He smiled again, before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

And strangely enough, he felt just like he did back at Akako's place, except it was Kaito who put a spell on him. A really powerful one.


	17. In which Kaito falls

_Well hello there, sweeties~ Did you guys miss me? :D_

_Sorry about the long break, exams and the eventual burnout/feeling lazy/can't write moments came, and I couldn't really write anything._

_But hey, here I am again, returning with a big and loud BANG! :)_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

They were flying, Shinichi was certain about that. Heaven knows how high, how many skyscrapers reached for them from the buzzing city, how many people chased them… It was almost meaningless too. A few minutes ago he peeked out of Kaito's pocket, and caught a glimpse of vast world under them. The light blinded him, the wind roughly tore into his hair, so he hid again – earning a low, tired chuckle – but he felt strangely… safe. It didn't make sense, his heart was still racing in his chest, they've just escaped from a heist…! And yet, there he was, content, happy. Why didn't he stop Kaito? Why didn't he sabotage his tricks, expose him, let the police catch him? He didn't know. He didn't even care at that moment. It was too nice to just fly and feel as free as one can be.

And then a sound, sharp and too close, echoed in the night. Gunshot, Shinichi couldn't mistake it for anything else. And it was aimed at them, at Kaito. And he was silent, Kaito didn't say a damn word when he should've, but he didn't even react to it.

"Oi, what happened? Are you-"

Spinning madly in the air, they were falling down, down, down. The ground, the cold concrete pulled them closer and closer. Thunder rumbled above them, as cold raindrops began to fall too. Shinichi, while he was grabbing the insides of the pocket so hard his knuckles turned white, peeked out again. The wind even harsher, the lights even brighter, he almost couldn't take it, but… he had to, he needed to hold on and look. And what he saw terrified him: Kaito's head was hanging low, bangs covering his face, but he was probably unconscious. Shinichi also noticed the dark red spot on his suit, on his chest, as it grew bigger.

"Kaito? Can you hear me? Please, answer me! Kaito!" he shouted, even though he knew deep inside how useless it was. They were still spinning, yet the other boy made no move to stop it, to save them from eventually crashing into the ground. He was like a ragdoll instead, a toy someone threw up in the air, and now it was falling back.

With a sickening sound of bones cracking, breaking and the blood splattering around them, they landed – Kaito on his back, Shinichi somewhat safe in his breast pocket. So he slowly crawled out with shaking limbs, and went further until he reached the other boy's face.

His eyes, oh gods, his eyes were wide open, but empty, frozen in his last moment of pain and fear, before the light faded out in them. And when Shinichi saw himself in them, saw his own bloodied face, his own wide and terrified eyes…

…he screamed.

* * *

Hands. Large, warm hands. Shaking his shoulders.

"…up! Shinichi, wake up!" A voice, someone he knew.

He slowly opened his eyes, surprised to feel tears sticking to his eyelashes, but even more surprised to see Kaito hovering above him.

"Are you okay?" he asked as he looked down on him, and his eyes were just as wide and scared as in that dream… He felt a cold shiver run down his spine, while he stared helplessly at the thief, not even registering his hands on his too small shoulders anymore. "You… you were shaking, you were shaking so, so badly… And t-then you were crying too, and you muttered something too, but I didn't understand, until y-you were suddenly screaming and… And…" Kaito was blabbering, on the verge of just throwing meaningless syllables together, and his Poker Face was nowhere to be seen. It was just Kaito, poor, frightened Kaito.

Shinichi put a hand on his, before he tried to sit up slowly.

"I'm okay now…" he muttered, before he slowly raised his head to look back at the boy still hovering above him like a worried mother hen. "I'm fine." He could only watch in stunned silence as Kaito sunk to the floor with a shaky sigh, then held him close to his chest in trembling hands.

"You scared me so much…" His voice was almost inaudible, but it broke Shinichi's heart. A part of his mind, a small and quiet one told him how cliché it was, but suddenly he didn't care, as he found himself clinging to Kaito too.

"You scared me too" he thought, and hoped that he could forget his nightmare as soon as possible.


	18. In which Shinichi accepts

_So umm... I must apologize for this chapter. Probably the shittiest I've written so far for this story._

* * *

There was something odd about hearing his voice from someone else's mouth. But, since he couldn't do anything about it, he just watched Kaito pacing back and forth in the living room with a phone in his hand, perfectly imitating his tone. And not only that – after a few questions, he could use his personality too. It was frightening for Shinichi, but at the same time, he was amazed too. Kaito played his role so perfectly, as if he was destined to do this. There were a few things he said that made Shinichi flinch and frown, until he realized that he would say the exact same thing as well. Still, in his other hand Kaito had a piece of candy wrap, in case the connection had to go bad in an awfully convenient moment.

Shinichi wasn't expecting this. It seemed that when Kaito said that they needed to contact people, and that they would do something about it, he actually meant it. Even though Shinichi still had no idea how to explain it all, even though it was dangerous for Kaito, he was still willing to do it. However, while he was kind, he wasn't stupid, and he was careless, but not that much. He didn't let Shinichi speak. It was understandable, really, one wrong word and the police would find out everything about him, about Kid. He would've done the same, Shinichi thought to himself.

So they made a list about the people Shinichi needed to talk to. Once that was done, Kaito asked him about those who knew his story about shrinking and living as a child. He said that they would be easier to deal with, since they had to explain less. In fact, Kaito was planning to tell them the truth, only leaving out one little detail: the true identity of Shinichi's "saviour". He quickly found an excuse for disappearing for two weeks as well: the antidote which "knocked him out completely". Shinichi had almost no chance to disagree, even though he kept wincing at every idea and how risky it was.

"What a persistent guy…" Kaito sighed as he sat down on the couch next to Shinichi. He rubbed his temples slowly, he was frowning a bit too. Shinichi couldn't help but notice how he still winced when he raised his right arm higher than usual, or moved it too suddenly, or how all his movements were somewhat slowed down. He's been like this ever since that night, when Shinichi found him in the bathroom, covered in blood. "He just doesn't know when to stop." Kaito whined again, breaking him out of his thoughts and forcing him to react somehow.

"Hattori?"

"Yeah…" Kaito sighed again. "It was harder than talking to your parents, and that's something. But…" He smiled softly, with relief shining in his eyes. "…he seems to be a good friend. He was really worried about you." At that, Shinichi smiled as well, and shook his head fondly. "So I was thinking…" Kaito continued, though he kept his voice quiet, as if he wasn't sure if he wanted to be heard or not. "Maybe you'd be in good hands with him."

"What?" he gasped as he turned to the other boy, but he already stood up and grabbed the phone again, ready to take his role again.

In good hands? Does that mean…? Kaito would give him up?

It hurt. He felt as if his heart was squeezed then slowly torn apart, and he could've sworn that someone stole all the air from the room. He wasn't sure what would've been worse: not knowing the answer why his body reacted like this, and helplessly seeking the answer, or knowing it, but also having the knowledge that he couldn't do anything about it. But Shinichi was aware, he could understand perfectly well why he was like this.

No matter how unpleasant that nightmare was, it was useful for one thing: making him realize how futile it was to deny anything. He'd been interested in the thief from the very first moment. He was fond of him. He wanted to stay with him. It wasn't love yet, but the more time he spent in his house, the closer he was to it, and Shinichi had to admit, that he wanted this. He wanted to be in love with him. And – even if it seemed impossible – he wanted Kaito to be in love with him too.

They would talk about this, Shinichi decided. If Kaito wanted to give him up, he'd make it clear that he was against it. Getting out of this mess was one thing, letting him go was another. Yes, they would talk, they would, and then-

"I've arranged a meeting for you."

"A meeting?"

"Yeah. With your professor and your witch." He reached out to pat Shinichi's head, as he smiled reassuringly at him. "I need to do a few things first, but after that we'll go to his place, okay?" He didn't wait for an answer, just left the room.

He was alone with his thoughts again. So he would meet the Professor and Haibara. That was good. But it also meant that he would probably stay with them – thus he would be separated from Kaito. Not so good. He needed to find an excuse, any excuse really, so he could stay, even if it meant clinging to him. Not that he didn't have his pride anymore – he still heard it screaming in the background – he just choose to ignore it. He could scream into his pillow and bury himself later, when this was all solved.

He heard soft footsteps from the stairs, and moments later there was a complete stranger in front of him. His hair was blond, more like blond-ish, the shade that resembled the sand more than anything, and it was neatly divided in the middle. He had piercing black eyes, as they seemed to say "no nonsense" even from behind the grey-rimmed glasses with thick lens, that sat on his long, but thin nose. His thin lips were set in a straight line. The man couldn't have been older than 30, yet it seemed that he was already disappointed with everything in life. But that only lasted until a familiar grin appeared on his face, and his eyes were filled with light and mischief.

"A bug will fly straight into your mouth if you keep it open like that…" he said, and Shinichi already felt shivers running down his spine at his voice. It was still a bit like his Kaito's, but deeper, and somewhat dry, strict. "We should go."

"Hey, wait a second! Do you even know where to go?" Shinichi asked him. To be honest, he had lots of other questions, but at that moment that seemed to be a good start. The other boy only grinned at him again.

"No, but I figured you would tell me." And again, just like before, since he was convinced that he was right, and that he had the best plan, he didn't give a chance to argue, just grabbed him by his collar, and put him in the breast pocket of his brown suit jacket. With swift steps, he marched over to the front door, got his shoes, then left the house. "So, where do we go?"

Shinichi reluctantly told him the address, then just held onto the edge of his pocket, trying to hide but also wanting to see the streets outside. This went on for a while, and nothing much happened, until they reached a busier area. As a car sped past them and honked loudly, Shinichi, though he wasn't sure why, jumped, while he let out a frightened yelp. Maybe because it all seemed to big, so terrifyingly large compared to him.

By the time he gathered himself, Kaito was already staring at him with that weird, puppy-like worried expression.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm alright." He winced at how shaky his voice was. Kaito didn't seem to mind though, as he smiled at him.

"Don't worry. I'll keep you safe no matter what."

"…y-you should." he croaked out, then hid deeper in the pocket, not daring to look at the other. He missed the loving look Kaito sent him.


	19. In which a new Conan is needed

_Hey sweeties~ I have news for you all. So, my updates might get messy from now on, because I started working. I still have time to write, but not as much, and my work pretty much fries my brain. This is why from now on, the number of updates per week might change. I'm sorry about this, hopefully everything will stay the same, but I just wanted to warn you all, just in case._

_And that's it for now. Please enjoy~_

* * *

So here they were, standing in front of Agasa's house. Shinichi peeked out of Kaito's pocket, and watched the building with a deep frown and chewed on his lips. He wished he had the thief's confidence with this whole problem, because at that moment, he really felt helpless.

"Would you mind telling me what you told him?" he asked as he looked up at Kaito, the frown never leaving his face.

"I told him that you were found by a guy, who took care of you after he got over the shock that dolls can talk." he said easily with a shrug. _Oh yeah. Good for him, not being nervous at all. Or his Poker Face is just that good._ Either way, he stepped closer to the front door and raised his hands to ring the doorbell, when Shinichi stopped him again.

"Don't you think that you should give me more details? This won't be enough, we won't be able to fool them like this."

"Right. My name is Yamada Shuuzo at the moment, and I have a niece. I originally wanted to give you to her, before I found out that you were actually alive." Still so awfully carefree and calm._ Just lean down a bit and I'll kick the glasses off your nose, you damn thief._

"And?"

"And what?"

"That's it?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Kaito shrugged again. "I mean you were knocked out for two weeks, so you and Yamada-san don't know too many things about each other yet." After that he rang the doorbell and waited. His posture changed slightly – he was standing straight, hands by his side, head held up high – but Shinichi figured that it was more because he was getting into character, not because he was getting nervous.

They heard shuffling from behind the door, before it opened slowly, and revealed a little girl standing inside with a slightly bored look on her face. Shinichi choose to hide himself completely, while Kaito merely raised an eyebrow, before he said in a calm tone:

"Good afternoon. My name is Yamada Shuuzo. I've talked to Agasa-san about my visit already." The girl nodded, but didn't even budge from her spot, just looked at Kaito expectantly. When he said nothing, just returned her deadpan gaze with his own, she asked:

"Where is he?" To anyone else, she might've sounded uninterested, but Shinichi could hear the faintest signs of curiosity in her voice. _Damn, Haibara can be scary when she's curious_, he thought with a shudder. And now she was curious about him? Suddenly, Shinichi felt that he really didn't want to be there at all.

"I'd rather not show him to you, little girl, while we're still outside." Kaito said. His deadpan voice was even more terrifying than Haibara's, and Shinichi shuddered again. When someone, who's tone is so cheerful and full of life usually, talked like this, it always sounded weird.

Haibara seemed to be satisfied with Kaito's answer though, as she stepped aside to let them in. Shinichi still didn't dare to peek out, even at the sound of the professor, who greeted "Yamada-san" and asked him to sit down. When he did, Kaito held out a palm for Shinichi to climb out of his pocket, and looked down on him with a faint, barely visible smile.

No, he absolutely did not feel like climbing out, in fact, he just wanted to hide himself even more, then stay there until they returned to Kaito's place. His pride, which he seemed to ignore pretty well until now was screaming, painting his cheeks crimson red, turning every thought of his into one sentence: "I don't want to!" His gaze was meant to convey the same message to Kaito, as he looked up at him with the best puppy dog eyes he could just have, but it didn't seem to work. The thief just poked him once, and nodded, urging him to reveal himself. He whined, but did as he should've, and carefully placed his feet on Kaito's palm. The other boy's smile grew a tiny bit wider, before his expression became neutral again, to match his disguise, but the reassuring look never quite leaved his face.

And Shinichi needed it, because as he faced Agasa and Haibara in his current form, he felt his legs go weak. He ducked his head in shame, then shyly raised it again, to look back on the other two, while he felt that his cheeks were burning.

Apparently both the professor and Ai were speechless, as they stared at him for a minute that felt like hours. They didn't really seem to believe it, and Shinichi wanted to join them in their disbelief, then wake up from his dream that was full of nonsense, stupid organisations, poisons, antidotes, and shrinking.

"S-Shinichi?" Agasa gasped out after long moments of silence. His voice seemed to echo in the otherwise quiet house. He only got a nod as an answer. "Is that really you?" Another nod, this time slightly more confident. He still wasn't convincing enough, as the professor continued the staring. But then he stood up, quite suddenly too, snatched him from Kaito's hands, and enveloped him in a crushing, rough hug. It was all sorts of awkward, considering how big the man was compared to him, and it was nothing like Kaito's careful hugs, but Shinichi felt such relief that he almost felt like crying right there and then. He didn't even know what he was so afraid of anymore. As he turned his head slightly, he saw Kaito right next to them, desperately trying to stay in character, while also trying to keep Shinichi safe, and he raised his hands, not sure if he should take him from the professor or leave them be.

The hug had to end eventually, but the happy, relieved glint never really leaved Agasa's eyes from then on. Somehow it made Shinichi happy and relieved too. He was ready for everything now.

* * *

Haibara was unreasonably difficult. Not that Shinichi ever expected her to just believe everything right from the very first moment, but the way she kept staring at him was getting creepy. They'd been there for hours now (they tried to come up with something to get Shinichi out of this mess), and Haibara was still coming up with the weirdest questions, trying to catch him (and Kaito as well) by surprise, and prove that they are imposters.

"Which cup was yours, when you were staying over?" she asked, when she appeared out of nowhere behind them.

"I had a black one." Shinichi answered, rubbing his temples. This was getting tiring. "I used to drink from a blue one, before Ayumi-chan broke it." Haibara nodded thoughtfully at that, and left them alone. Not that he felt relieved from this, he already knew better. A few minutes, and she'd be back with another question. A part of him, the nicer one obviously, tried to come up with some excuse for her, she had a reason to be paranoid after all. But that didn't make it easier to tolerate her. One look at Kaito proved that the other boy was reaching his limit as well.

"We need to get Conan out of the picture…" he murmured to himself. He was the first one to say it out loud, but it has been going through their heads for a while now. Kaito's eyes darkened slightly behind his glasses, while the professor nodded slowly. "Everyone thinks that I'm just investigating some case far from here, but Conan…" He was chewing on his lips, trying to find a solution. Kaito couldn't disguise himself as a child, even if he gathered all his courage to actually ask him to do so. If he disappeared for two weeks, it meant that neither Ran, nor the police would be satisfied with a simple phone call and some easy excuse. They needed a good story, and an actual Conan.

"The police is still looking for him…" the professor said and sighed.

"And Mouri Kogoro." Kaito added. Shinichi saw the hint of a smile on his face, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared, leaving only that frightening, neutral expression behind. He was too good at playing this role. But there was something else too. _Did he know-?_ Of course he knew about the investigation. Perhaps even before he found out who "Arthur" was. And he kept it a secret. Shinichi felt angry, but he didn't really know why.

"Ah… I'll get something to drink…" Agasa said, then stood up and left them there. Kaito didn't dare to drop his mask yet, but some worry already shined through his eyes, as he looked at Shinichi. Around this time they were already having dinner, if not heading for a shower or a bath. _He must be tired…_ Kaito shook his head. He couldn't stop thinking about Shinichi as some vulnerable child, he worried too much. He was getting attached. Not good. Not good at all. _Stop this, whatever we have between us. Sever this bond._

When the professor returned, he brought three mugs – one for himself, one for Yamada, and one for… oh. As he put them on the table, he noticed that those mugs were almost as tall as Shinichi. He sent the boy an apologetic glance, and got a sad, but forgiving smile in return.

"It's okay, Agasa-san." Yamada said in a tone that was supposed to be reassuring. If Shinichi hadn't known who Yamada was, he could've had heard it too, instead of the plainness. "He usually doesn't drink anyway, just eats fruits with lots of juice. It keeps him hydrated."

"I s-see…" the man nodded uneasily, and sat down again. Yamada, still with his deadpan expression, produced a mineral water bottle out of nowhere, turned off the cap, and handed it to Shinichi.

"Do you want to drink too?" They both ignored the wide eyed look Agasa gave them, Kaito with more ease, while Shinichi shook his head. He just scowled at no one and nothing in particular, still struggling to think of something that would save him.

They heard the sound of the door, and moments later Haibara appeared, approaching them with a determined expression. She had another question for him. But instead of looking annoyed, Shinichi's eyes lit up as he smiled, then said:

"I've found Conan."


	20. In which Kaito is a cold mother hen

_Still trying to keep up with the schedule, but I'm updating earlier in case my work would kill me, or the storm that comes tomorrow would steal all electricity._

_I'm too drained, it's almost 4 a.m., guys... Sorry if this chapter doesn't makes sense, I'll never pull writing all-nighters again..._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

The look Haibara gave him convinced him that it's not going to be easy.

"This is the worst idea I've ever heard." she said.

"But pretty much the only one we could go with." Shinichi rubbed his temples with a tired sigh. Dignity be damned, he looked at "Yamada", as if he was asking for his help, but the man was just wearing his deadpan expression, perfectly content with staring out of the window. He noted how his cheeks under the thick layers of make-up looked slightly pink, but he didn't worry too much about it. "Look, I wouldn't ask you if… I had any other solution."

"You do have another solution." Haibara looked at him with an unreadable expression. "Leave this fake identity behind."

"And that's exactly what I want to do!" he exclaimed, making the professor and Yamada jolt. Haibara didn't even blink. "But he can't disappear just like this. I… need to end it. Properly."

"That's all nice, except for the fact that I know that you won't end it. First I dress up, fine. Pretend that Edogawa Conan has to leave, go back to his parents, whatever. But you won't be able to give him up – reassuring phone calls, postcards, making everyone believe that he's still alive, still out there, because they would get worried, right? You won't leave him behind, this fake persona will cling to you for the rest of your life, because you're too afraid to give him up!" They all listened to her in stunned silence. She was right, even if Shinichi didn't want to admit it. He only thought about how happy he would be if he could finally return to his old self, but he never once thought about what would happen to Conan after that. The boy wasn't a detective, not yet, and he was too young to just say that he went to investigate something, the most convenient excuse of them all.

"You just want to leave it be, and act as if he disappeared forever." Yamada said quietly, looking at Haibara. She nodded, and continued.

"Edogawa Conan won't disappear unless we kill him."

"Kill?" The professor spat out his coffee, and stared at her with wide eyes. "What do you mean by that, Ai-chan?"

"I get it. You want to make it look like he died, so people would give up on him." Yamada spoke again, and his tone was cold as ice, and it stayed that way even when a tiny smile appeared on his face. "It would be a bit morbid for a show, don't you think, little girl?" Kaito's personality showed for just a second. Whether it was intentional or not, Shinichi didn't know, but he realized that he didn't want to see the other boy mix his real self and "Yamada Shuuzo" up. Under the cold façade of this face, Kaito seemed to be inhuman.

Haibara looked like she wanted to speak, but Yamada was faster, as he went on.

"Besides, where's the guarantee that he won't have to use "Conan" again?" Shinichi gasped, and turned fully towards him. He… didn't think of that either. His mind was getting foggy, he kept making mistakes, even though his life was at stake! "The next antidote you'll make might be only enough to give him a child's body, or it'll make him even smaller. I agree with you, we'll have to get rid of Conan, but it's too early for that. Let's do that when we're certain that he won't be needed again." Haibara nodded uneasily. She knew how risky it was – even shrinking was something that was not supposed to happen, the poison should've killed Shinichi. And turning it all back, reversing it, giving him back his original body was even more difficult. Arguing with this man would've been pointless, he was right after all, even if he hurt her pride.

"Yamada-san, you… seem to know a lot about this situation." Agasa spoke up. The man in front of him, however, looked as calm as ever, only turning his head slightly to look back at him.

"I asked questions and he choose to answer me. It's simple as th-"

He stopped midsentence when he saw Shinichi collapse. He caught him just before he could hurt himself in any way, and asked him with the slightest hint of worry in his voice: "Are you okay?" The boy in his hands just panted softly, and tried to croak out an answer. "He wore himself out…" Yamada muttered, partly to himself, partly to the other two.

The only reason he could hold back his frown was because he was so used to his Poker Face, and at that moment Kaito was grateful for that. He knew, he already noticed that having such a tiny body had even more limitations than a child's, and he also realized that Shinichi completely forgot about this. But he, himself, he wasn't supposed to forget it. He was supposed to…

_Stop. Why? What reason do I have to care for him?_

He stood up, and walked towards the door, still holding Shinichi in his hand.

"We'll come back later, when he's alright again. Good night, Agasa-san." He left a bewildered professor and Haibara behind, but he didn't really care at that moment. A part of him was going on and on about how he needed to make sure that he was okay, the other was questioning his motives, his reasons.

_Why didn't I just leave him there? With people who actually know him?_

"…_you're too afraid to give him up…"_

Haibara's words seemed to echo in his head. He was no better than Shinichi after all, he couldn't leave, couldn't abandon him like that. Not when he was…

"You'll be the death of me…" Kaito whispered, before he hid the other boy in his pocket safely.

* * *

When Shinichi woke up, he felt as if a truck hit him. Several times. His head hurt as if he slammed it against a wall, his joints ached, his muscles were burning like he just finished a marathon. His whole body felt odd, he realized when he tried to move.

He was laying on a bed, he noticed. Good for a start. He was probably in Kaito's room then. He tried to turn his head, and winced when he realized how sore his neck was.

Kaito was right there, next to him, and he – thank gods for that – got rid of his disguise too. He was sitting, and there was a book on his lap, but he probably fell asleep while reading. His fingertips barely touched the cover of the opened book, and he rested his head against the wall behind the bed. He looked peaceful, and for once, not in pain at all.

However, Shinichi couldn't just stare at him for too long, as he noticed something odd again. The pillow that he usually slept on – while it was still under him – felt smaller than before. So did the bed, the bedside table, and the whole room. With some effort (and minimal amounts of wincing) he raised his hand above his head to look at it, and his eyes widened at the sight. It's not like the room around him got smaller, he was the one who got bigger. Was it the antidote? Was it the witch's spell? Was it Kaito? He didn't know, but he wanted to find out.

He immediately sat up, despite the protests of his changed body. And with the same momentum he fell off the bed with a thump an a dignified yelp.

"Huh? You woke up?" He heard Kaito's sleepy voice, so with some difficulties he got up to look at the magician. "Good morning!" he chirped, and Shinichi could only nod in return, as the other boy leaned closer. "Apparently I was right, no need for morbid shows yet. And I don't know how happy it makes you, but you won't need that little girl's help either."

"What do you mean?" He asked slowly, and gulped when he saw the grin on Kaito's face.

"Welcome back, Conan."


	21. In which Conan is not happy to be back

_So, someone is going crazy with angst (you know who you are) and I can't exactly leave it at that, so I might... make this story a bit darker. Pfff~ Or maybe not._

_Another chapter where nothing really happens, but... Please enjoy!_

* * *

Shinichi stared at Kaito for a full minute, before he dashed out, towards the bathroom. He felt fear mixing with excitement inside him, as his soles hit the floor under him, as the ceiling was suddenly a lot closer, and Kaito's house didn't feel as enormous as it did before. When he tried to enter the bathroom, he realized he could actually reach the doorknob, and watched as his fingers curled around it, before he threw the door open.

He stood on his tiptoes, his mind already returning to Conan, and tried to see himself in the mirror. No matter how he tried though, he could only catch the sight of a brown cowlick peeking out from behind the cabinet. That is, until a pair of strong hands held him up higher.

His eyes widened. The boy on the other side of the mirror, not quite Conan yet, not without his trademark glasses, stared back at him with a surprised and somewhat terrified expression. Still held up by Kaito, he raised a hand hesitantly to touch his own cheeks, his nose, his forehead.

"This can't be…" he whispered, and shuddered. "This is… a dream, right?" He didn't like how shaky he sounded, and how vulnerable he looked, but that slight displeasure was washed away by the relief at the thought that he was one step closer to being normal. Even if he was hanging like a ragdoll in Kaito's hands, too numb to do anything. He looked at his feet, his hands, saw them tremble, saw how they were really his… "Pinch me, please."

He couldn't quite understand why he got so emotional, why he couldn't calm down. For all he knew, he might have to spend years as Conan, he might not return to his real body ever again. Just because he wasn't so tiny anymore… He was still far from being safe.

Shinichi barely registered as Kaito made him sit on the cabinet, and started wiping his eyes with a handkerchief.

"Now, now, no need to cry…" he said in a soothing voice. _Crying? Was he crying?_ The thief just pinched his nose with a soft smile. "You'll be fine." They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Kaito took a big breath and broke eye contact to put him down to the ground, then turned away. "Let's have breakfast, okay?" He didn't wait for Conan as he hurried down the corridor and the stairs.

* * *

Saying that Shinichi was worried would be an understatement. He was way beyond that already – there were so many things he needed to settle, to explain still. He didn't realize it before, but back then he was a little bit relieved that it would be Haibara who would play his role, so he wouldn't have to face Ran yet. But if he turned back into Conan, there would be no reason to drag the girl into this (not to mention that she would downright laugh at him for being a coward).

And then there was Kaito. Shinichi wasn't so vulnerable anymore, he could actually walk on the streets, and function like a normal human, even if his current body gave him limitations. He didn't have to stay with the thief anymore. He could go back to the professor, catch up with Hattori, turn to his parents, or even crawl back to Ran, it didn't even matter who he would stay with, because one thing was clear: it wouldn't be Kaito. Normally, that is.

But the more he looked at him – first waltzing around the kitchen with a damn apron, looking unreasonably attractive and housewife-like, then sitting down with him and eating breakfast, trying to lick the jam off his hands, because he ate like a little child, messy and clumsy, but also adorable – Shinichi realized that this situation was anything but normal. He wasn't supposed to notice these things, wasn't supposed to care. But he did, and the fondness he had for Kid flared up inside him again. And honestly, Kaito wasn't helping either, giving him weird looks every now and then. Sometimes he seemed sad, other times thoughtful, and then there were those times when he had this odd smile on his face, that Shinichi wasn't sure how to interpret. At one point though he must've thought of something unpleasant, because he tensed all of sudden, and his appetite was almost completely gone too. It seemed like he just tried to force the rest of his breakfast down, before he eventually gave up and waited for Conan.

When they were finished, Kaito went to clean the plates and put away the food they left. The little knives and plates were clinking together in his hands – they were shaking terribly. Beneath his Poker Face were the slightest hints of distress, and Shinichi almost missed them – Kaito's eyes betrayed him in the end.

"Is something wrong?" It took a few seconds before his words reached Kaito, and even then he only got a low, absentminded hum as an answer. The thief started pacing back and forth between the kitchen and the living room. He looked like he was deep in thought, but he also seemed worried, and even somewhat… angry? Conan narrowed his eyes at him. When was the last time he was this pattern?

Eventually Kaito returned to his room, telling him that he can just watch TV or something. When he was gone, Conan, simply out of curiosity, checked the front door – it was locked, as he expected it. So were the windows in the house, and in a way so that he couldn't open them. The only way he could escape if he broke the glass – and that would make a sound, Kaito would hear, then he would find and catch him before he got too far. It wasn't like Conan wanted to run anyway – he just wanted to test how careful Kaito was with him.

Around noon Kaito appeared again, looking just as distressed as he did before, if not more. He only made food for Shinichi, he himself didn't even eat anything. When he was done, he left again, quietly apologizing. He was so out of character that Conan decided – he needed to investigate this. He was in the middle of sneaking around the house, when it hit him: A heist! When Kaito was like this the last time, it was just before his heist. What worried him more was, however, the way the thief ended up afterwards. He still couldn't forget the blood smeared on his white clothes, it haunted him like a ghost.

So there he was, trying to find a way to either stop the magician, or make sure that he wouldn't do anything stupid. The latter was kind of impossible, as he couldn't quite follow him like he would've pocket sized. Stopping him it is. The question was: how? He didn't have his watch anymore, and he doubted that knocking him out with something else would be easy. Should he beg him to stay? Shinichi had to let out a chuckle, just because of how ridiculous it sounded. Shinichi did not beg, and Kid did not listen to begging. Nothing came to his mind.

With a huff, he sat down on the couch, swinging his short again legs back and forth. The TV was humming quietly in the background, while he was trying to think. He fell asleep though, and without coming up with a good idea.

* * *

When Conan opened his eyes again, the whole house was dark. It was late already. With a soft groan he sat up (apparently he somehow fell to his side and didn't wake up), and almost got tangled in the blanket that covered him. Paying no mind to it, he got up. He had to find Kaito, he had to-

The front door creaked, and Shinichi turned so quickly towards the sound that his neck ached. He saw a dark figure in the doorway with a cap on their head, and sports bag hanging from their shoulder. The person noticed him, and seemed to watch him. And then they put their bag down and walked over to Conan. They walked silently and like a cat, they were almost predatory. Shinichi could only see their face when they were only a step away. Even then, their eyes were hidden under the cap, but know he knew perfectly who he faced. That grin was enough.

"I should've drugged you…" the boy in front of him murmured.

"You think I'd have fallen for that trick again?" he asked defiantly. The soft laugh he got in return made him shiver.

"Oh forgive me." He was downright purring, as he raised a hand to caress Shinichi's cheeks. "Well then… it's bedtime for you, Tantei-kun."

The last thing he saw was the pink smoke embracing him.


	22. In which Conan stays

_Hello sweeties~ Another chapter, and this time things actually happen. Crazy, right?_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

They were flying, Shinichi was certain about that. Heaven knows how high, how many skyscrapers reached for them from the buzzing city, how many people chased them… It was almost meaningless too. He looked down at Tokyo under them. The light blinded him, the wind roughly tore into his hair, so he squeezed his eyes shut – earning a low, tired chuckle from the boy holding him – but he felt strangely… safe. It didn't make sense, his heart was still racing in his chest, they've just escaped from a heist…! And yet, there he was, content, happy. Why did he come with Kaito? Why did he choose to be carried away instead of catching the thief? He didn't know. He didn't even care at that moment. It was too nice to just fly and feel as free as one can be.

And then a sound, sharp and too close, echoed in the night, and it made Conan's blood run cold. He knew this. He knew what that sound was, he knew what will happen next. Or at least he though he knew.

Because in the next moment Kaito let him go, and he fell down, as if the bright, pulsing city was pulling him closer. The thief followed him, as his lifeless body fell from the sky too. Shinichi screamed as he reached for him, but his arms were too short, he was too small and too weak to save them. He could only watch as the concrete came closer and closer to them.

From the corner of his eye, he saw a figure in black on a nearby roof with a gun in their hands. He was watching them fall with a grin, then nodded to another man next to him. This one had black clothes too, and he would've completely melted into the shadows if not for his blonde hair. Conan's eyes widened, and another shout tore itself out of him, but all the anger, all his determination, and the realization about who was after Kid was in vain.

He only felt the roof hitting him for a moment.

* * *

When he woke up in cold sweat, he was in a different room. It wasn't the living room, but it wasn't Kaito's either. He sat up, when his breathing returned to a normal rhythm, and looked around. Sunlight filtered through the curtains – it was morning already. Conan didn't bother with inspecting the room, he went to look for Kaito instead. And he was nowhere to be seen.

His bedroom, unlocked, was empty, so was the kitchen and the living room. Conan even tried to knock on the bathroom's door, then peeked in when he got no answer – again, it was empty.

He did found, however, notes all over the house, all from the magician. The first was on the kitchen table, next to a plate of pancakes.

"Good morning, Tantei-kun." it said. "You have such an adorable sleeping face that I didn't want to wake you up." Conan rolled his eyes. "I might not come back until the evening, so I prepared food for you. Lunch is in the fridge." When he checked, there was indeed a box with his name in it, and there was a plate with utensils, so Conan wouldn't have to climb on the cabinets to get them. So he ate his food – it was still warm and delicious, then went to explore the rest of the house.

The next note was waiting for him on the coffee table in front of the TV. "In case you'd get bored." Along with the little blue paper Kaito apparently left him 3 DVDs, three seasons of Sherlock, and a few books too. It seemed like the other boy expected him to just hang out in the living room all day.

To his surprise, he found a note right on the front door as well. "Don't even try." Conan smiled. In any other situation it would've sounded creepy, but he felt relieved instead. Of course, now that he knew about the thief, his name and everything, Kaito couldn't just let him go so easily. And it made him happy.

Even when he didn't have an excuse to stay with him anymore, Kaito had a reason to keep him by his side.

* * *

Just with those little pieces of blue paper Kaito managed to cheer him up so well, that he almost forgot what he woke up to. Almost. As he opened the door of the bathroom – still feeling some childish excitement over the fact that he simply _could_ – a memory of a night flashed in his mind.

Kid had a heist yesterday. He was exposed to danger once again. And Shinichi didn't know how it ended. The first note he found began to worry him – Kaito might not come back for a while, but where did he go in the first place? And why? Given how careful he was with Conan, leaving him alone in his house was dangerous, so unless he had a serious reason to leave, he wouldn't… He realized again how much he didn't like not knowing things.

* * *

It was getting dark outside by the time Kaito returned. He didn't seem to be injured, but Shinichi already noticed that just because he looked like he was unharmed, the truth, for all he knew, could be completely different.

So there he sat, on the couch, watching him carefully. Kaito didn't seem to mind, or even realize, as he just greeted him with a happy smile, then went to let some fresh air in. When he seemed to struggle with one window, Conan chuckled.

"You locked my cage pretty tightly, huh?" He didn't expect the way Kaito tensed after hearing his words, and he wasn't ready for the guilty look he got.

"I… hate acting like a creep, you know. I'm not some psycho who kidnaps children."

"I know." Kaito sat down next to him with a heavy sigh, as if the smile he had on his face was never there in the first place. He just stared at the floor when he spoke again.

"It's just that… I can't exactly let you go now." Conan smiled, and took a deep breath.

"Then don't."


	23. In which Kaito is gone

_Hello everyone, sorry for the long wait! I really needed to take a break, and I wasn't exactly in the condition to write either, so this chapter got horribly delayed. Forgive me for that._

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

Kaito looked at him like he was fire that has just scalded him. Conan supposed that this was to be expected, so he tried not to feel bad about it, but the more the magician stared at him, wordlessly, his Poker Face gone completely, the harder it got to ignore the burning feeling in his chest.

"You…" he started in a raspy voice. "You don't know what you're saying." Conan only frowned at that. It used to be such a relief that the thief didn't treat him like a child even with his current body, and now there he was, doubting him. He was a tiny bit annoyed.

"I know exactly what I'm saying." he said, looking into the other boy's eyes. He wanted to seem confident, even though he didn't feel like that at all. And maybe it worked, because Kaito just gave him another dumbfounded look, his cheeky teenager self and the overconfident thief persona nowhere to be seen. When he leaned closer, Conan forced himself not to lean back, and braced himself for the answer he was going to get.

"Do you mean that?" He sounded… wary. Of Conan, of the situation, of everything that concerned the two of them. It was as if he was talking to a criminal, interrogating him. For a moment, Conan wanted to become pocket sized again, he wanted to become "Arthur" again, or turn back time and never meet the thief like this. Still, he kept his act up, and nodded.

"I do." There was finality in his voice, but for some reason, it didn't bring relief, just some bitter taste in his mouth, and a heavy feeling in his chest.

"You have lost your mind." Five words, one sentence – that was all it would've taken to pierce Conan with dread, if not for that soft smile on Kaito's face. "Completely, entirely… you're a fool, Kudou Shinichi. Do you really trust me that much?"

"I…" Oh, how much he wanted to say that he did, and it annoyed him to no end that he couldn't. And not only that – he began to worry, to fear, and the resolve his forced upon himself was crumbling under the other boy's stare. Something told him this wasn't a good idea. Something else told him it was the best he ever had. Which one was he supposed to believe?

The bitter chuckle he heard broke him out of his thoughts. Kaito still had the same smile on his face, but maybe this was the first time that Shinichi was hit by how fake it was. The magician didn't look hurt, sad, worried, just mildly amused – and now he couldn't see what was happening behind the mask. It was the most perfect Poker Face he ever showed. It wasn't even terrifying anymore, just painfully sad.

"It's fine" he said quietly.

* * *

The next day for Conan, again, started with him being on his own. No wonder, as it was a Monday, and Kaito had apparently school. So it was perfectly natural that he wouldn't be at home at 10 a.m., but Shinichi found it quite annoying.

So, while grumbling to himself and simultaneously denying the fact that he was, in fact, grumbling, he marched down the stairs to the kitchen. His breakfast was there again, bread with butter and honey, but he found no note next to it. Nor on the fridge. Something dark and heavy seemed to settle on his heart, as he frantically ran through the house, to find anything – no tiny bits of paper with endearing messages on them anywhere. The books and DVDs remained where they were – looks like Kaito didn't even touch them.

The house, despite the pleasant, late spring weather, felt cold, and for the first time ever, so unwelcoming that Conan wanted to run away. A day before he was only joking, but it seemed like he was in a cage, and the one who kept him inside didn't even want him there.

The night before, after their little chat, they were both completely silent. There was a barrier between them, made of nothing but air, yet it seemed to be stronger than any brick wall. Or door. Like Kaito's, that was locked after he went to sleep – he didn't even wait for Shinichi. With no other choice, he went to the room he woke up in that day, right after he took a quick shower, and fell into a dreamless sleep after what seemed to be hours.

He got spoiled, it appeared. Almost three weeks, enough to make him get used to smiles, to hugs, to laughter, to caring… And honestly, it annoyed him. Just when he finally accepted his feelings, and finally gathered his courage to… say something about it, even if it wasn't a confession… And the damn thief decided exactly that time to separate himself entirely from Shinichi. All because he failed to say that he trusted him.

He couldn't hold back the groan as he thought about it, while he slowly went back to the kitchen. He didn't even want to look at food, but since he figured that starving himself would do him no good, and also, just a tiny bit because it was Kaito who prepared it for him, he climbed up on the chair, and started eating. He only ate half of his bread when he realized that he wanted to drink something, but there wasn't anything for him on the table. He spotted the milk on the kitchen cabinet, though, so with an annoyed huff he climbed off the chair.

While it wasn't so bad as being pocket sized, having the body of a small child still came with limitations – access to high things, for example.

"I'm 18 and I still need a damn chair to reach everything…" he grumbled. Finally, chair in place, he climbed on it and stood up.

And right in that moment his vision flickered. White spots danced in front of him, blinding him, making him dizzy. He reached out, but only blindly, to hold onto something, but his limbs shook terribly. He felt weak all of sudden and he wasn't aware of what he was doing anymore.

The sudden wave of pain in the back of his head was the last thing he felt before he blacked out completely.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Thin sheets, unwelcoming bed, awful clothes, the smell of disinfectants, and the constant throbbing in his head woke Shinichi up. And the constant beeping. His eyelids were heavy, he couldn't really lift them up yet, so he focused on the things he felt and heard – and he decided that he didn't like any of it.

He couldn't quite remember what happened, but he was almost one hundred percent sure that he was in a hospital. As soon as the thought hit him, he forced his eyes open. The light – white, cold, unfriendly – blinded him for a moment, but when he could see again… _Yup, a hospital room._

He didn't see anyone in there, not a doctor, or a nurse. Kaito was missing too. He was getting worried. He didn't know what happened to him, which hospital he was in, did others know that he was there…? So many questions, they made his head hurt.

"Oh right… my head…" he mumbled to himself. As he raised his palm to touch the back of his head, he found a bandage there. It must've been pretty bad, he thought with a wince, when the throbbing got stronger.

And then he saw it. A bouquet of blue roses, standing in a vase, on the table next to his bed. And among the blue petals and shining, green leaves, something white peeked out – a card. Slowly, carefully, Shinichi reached out to get it. There wasn't much written on it, and there was no signature either, but he realized who left it there for him.

_I trust you_, said the card. Shinichi didn't understand at first what it was supposed to mean, but it became awfully clear when the door opened and people, like flood, filled the room.

"Conan-kun!"

"Ku- Conan!"

"Conan-kun!"

Ran… Hattori… Ayumi-chan, Genta, Mitsuhiko…

He swore his heart stopped for a second, and not only because he met them again. He figured it out.

_I trust you not to tell them. Goodbye._


	24. In which Shinichi reaches out again

_Hello sweeties~ Guess who's back :)_

_I finally finished my summer job~ Now I have a bit less than a month before uni starts, but until then, I'll try to be a bit more active._

_Please enjoy~_

* * *

If Shinichi ever craved attention before, now he was certain he was sick of people. They were all just worried about him, bless their hearts, but being constantly monitored was tiring. There was Ran's worried chirping, the cold, calculating gaze of Haibara, always from the corner, always in complete silence. And then there was Hattori, giving him that slightly confused look, but being surprisingly quiet. The children were loud, but at least they were easy. They settled with simple questions, like how he was feeling, and they were easy to distract. The others, well… not so much.

And just when he wanted to think, when he absolutely needed to! The bouquet of blue roses was still sitting on the bedside table, serving as a reminder. The card was hidden under Shinichi's pillow though – it would've brought up more questions, and he already had enough to answer.

"What happened to you, Conan-kun?" Ran's voice was worried, frantic, with just a touch of hysteria in it when she asked him for the first time.

"I…" Maybe it was luck that the throbbing in his head just got stronger in that exact moment, and with a wince, he raised a hand to touch the spot where he hit it. This way he could act like his memories were hazy and in an unstable swirl, so that the individual little snippets of it were unreachable for him. The doctor, who came in with the others, started explaining it all: blow on the head, possible memory loss, confusion… Ran gave up for a while, but not forever. He knew that.

The children left first, wishing him the best, all with that cheerful worry only they could have. They didn't understand, they couldn't possibly imagine what was happening. It was better like this. Because the others, the ones who knew and didn't leave, like the professor, Haibara, and Hattori, they were all waiting for answers. It was as if a bomb was about to explode in there, and their curious, wary gazes were the countdown. And they were only waiting for Ran to leave, since they knew that he wouldn't speak while she was there.

So there he sat, in his bed, helplessly. He tried to pretend that he was asleep, though his mind kept reminding him how much of a coward he was for that. He ignored it. He just let himself doze off – it was easier that way.

And the he heard as the door clicked shut, and the little white chair by his side was empty. Ran left. It didn't matter why, or for how long, because he felt those gazes on himself again, like they were ready to burn holes into his body.

"We know you're awake." Haibara's voice, quiet and cold, seemed to echo in the little hospital room. Shinichi let the tiniest smile spread on his face at how creepy it would've normally sounded, and then reluctantly opened his eyes. "You're not as discrete as you think, with opening your eyes in every minute to check what's happening…" Now that got a definite growl out of him, as he definitely wasn't doing that in every minute, just… every two minutes. Maybe.

He sat up, slowly and carefully, and then looked at the other three. They still stood near the wall, as if they didn't dare to approach him, not even Hattori. It was odd.

"What happened to you, Kudou?" The Osakan boy asked, and finally dared to take a step towards him. A small one, but still, at least he didn't look like he thought that Shinichi was some wild animal. "Just when I thought that we haven't seen each other in ages, and that we should catch up, I see your face in the newspaper… What have you been doing for two weeks? Was it really the antidote? Because you don't look different to me at all. Not a teenager, and definitely not… that small either. And who's this "Yamada" you told me about?" Shinichi had to wince at that – it was actually Yamada who told Hattori about himself, and in fact, he wasn't even Yamada. Just a dumb magician who decided to-

"Sorry that I'm late!" Someone said as they entered the room. A man in his late 20s with sand-coloured hair that was neatly divided in the middle, and piercing black eyes that showed only disappointment at the whole world, even from behind his grey rimmed glasses that sat on his long, but thin nose… Yamada. _Kaito_.

"Who are you?" Hattori asked, as he turned around to cast an uneasy glance at the stranger.

"I am Yamada Shuuzo" he said as he bowed slightly. "I took care of this boy while he was unconscious, after I found him in an alley." _Bold, clear, and deadly cold, just like he was before._ It wasn't really a surprise that Hattori still looked wary of him after bowing absentmindedly in return. Yamada didn't seem to mind either, then again, his face looked like it was carved out of stone all the time – Shinichi wondered if Kaito would ever let any emotion slip through this disguise.

The question of "How much did this stranger know?" hung in the air, and it was something Shinichi didn't dare to answer. Yamada, or rather, Kaito could've, and also had the courage he lacked, since he returned and everything… But there was something about Yamada that Shinichi didn't like, and there was something about the whole situation too. Because as he looked at him, standing next to the door, calmly watching the room and everyone in it without a hint of real emotion, and appearing as if he wasn't part of their world at all, he was just as much as Kaitou Kid as Yamada Shuuzo and Kuroba Kaito, and he was ready to flee right in that moment.

And probably that's what made him call out to him, chirping with an overly childish voice even when he had no reason to because everyone in that room knew who he was. This fake name, "Yamada-san", felt wrong on his tongue, and tasted like bile. Still, he wanted to endure it, because there was a card under his pillow, and it told him that he had Kid's, and even more importantly, Kaito's trust.

"Yes?" His voice was too deep, too strict, too dry. But as he turned towards him fully, his eyes shone just a little brighter.

"Did you bring me here?" Shinichi asked, his voice still unnecessarily childish. He wasn't sure what to say after he called out to the other boy, so he went with the first question that came to his mind.

"Of course." Yamada chuckled softly, and walked closer to him. He ignored the wary looks of Hattori, just took nonchalant, calm steps until he was by the edge of the bed. "I just had to check up on my little sister, so I had to leave. I got stuck in a traffic jam too, that's why it took me so long to come back." Lies, all lies. Conan threw an accusing glare at him, but he ignored, wearing the usual, empty expression.

"Yamada-san, what exactly happened to Shinichi?" The professor asked. His tone showed nothing but worry – it was different from Haibara's ice cold look, and Hattori's wariness, and he was, if only just a tiny bit, grateful for it.

"The failed antidote he was given wore off. I was about to call you to tell you the good news when he fell and hit his head." Yamada said seemingly calmly. Shinichi could still hear the slightest tremors in it though, as he continued. "It was entirely my fault, I shouldn't have been so careless. I apologize – to all of you." He bowed deeply, and gripped the fabric of his pants so tightly that his knuckles went white. It seemed to baffle everyone in the room, and as he straightened up, Yamada looked just the tiniest bit self-conscious.

"It's not your fault." Shinichi said, and he reached out to grab the other boy's sleeve. That earned him a shocked look and a small, but pained smile.

"But it was…" Yamada whispered, and for a moment Shinichi could've sworn he saw Kaito behind the mask, before his expression became cold and lifeless again. The sleeve was torn out of his grip, and Yamada bowed again to everyone in the room. "I need to leave now, I just wanted to make sure that the little boy is alright. Well then… Goodbye." And with that he left the room.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Hattori roared and hurried after him. Shinichi only shook his head at that – Kaito wouldn't be caught unless he wanted to be.

* * *

It was past midnight when Shinichi still busied himself with inspecting the ceiling. He probably didn't do a good job at it though, because a) it was dark and he couldn't see anything, and b) his thoughts kept wandering back to a certain magician despite his struggles. With an annoyed huff we sat up to adjust his pillow, when he felt a shiver run down his spine. Guided by purely instinct, he turned around, and by the opened window stood Kid, watching him with a wide grin.

"Hey."

"H-hey."

"How are you feeling?" He asked, and his grin softened back into a small smile.

"My head still hurts a little…" Kaito winced a little, so he added in a hurry: "But I'm better now! A lot better!"

"I'm glad then…"

"So what's with the fancy suit? Did you dress up for me?" He asked, wanting to break the awkward atmosphere between them before it would suffocate him. Kid laughed, actually laughed at that. It seemed that it worked.

"I might have. I wanted to talk to you alone, you see."

"Oh? Am I that special?" He was desperate to keep his tone easy and calm, to delay what was obviously coming. If the thief saw through him, it didn't matter, as long as he could stop him from saying that one thing.

"You were always special, Tantei-kun." Kid shook his head then, and glanced outside for a moment. "Well, I just wanted to wish you luck."

"With catching you?" _Keep your act up, keep your act up, keep your act up…_

"Haha, that would make things harder for me…" He glanced outside again, then looked back at Shinichi. "Get well soon." With that, he turned around, and stepped on the window sill.

"W-wait!" When Kid turned back to look at him again, he gulped uneasily. He wasn't sure what he could say to make the other stay… What could be enough to…?

"I-I…"

"Hm?"

"I… trust you."

A moment of deafening silence came. They held their breath, just staring at each other with something like fear in their eyes, and the world seemed to stop around them. Finally, Kid's lips twisted into a bitter smile, as he whispered:

"Thank you." He jumped.

Shinichi fell back on his pillow with a soft thump. He squeezed his eyes shut – missing the white shadow flying under the Moon.


	25. In which Shinichi must face the truth

_Weeeeell... this is... different. I guess? Sometimes it felt really good writing it, but now I'm just anxious about it._

_Also, it annoys me to no end that I cannot answer guest reviews. I understand why, but I'm still annoyed.  
So, dear **Selbram**, I'll have to reply here... To be honest, I've never heard of that story before (but thank you very much for the link, I'll check it out! ^^). It started with some silly FB post about what would happen if the pocket sized version of your favourite character accompanied you everywhere and commented on the things you did or something like that. Then we started brainstorming with my kouhai, and eventually the story of pocket Shin-tan started. (Though originally it would've been Kid who would've become smaller, but I changed my mind ^^")_

_So, umm... Please enjoy!_

* * *

It appeared that the case of Edogawa Conan's disappearance has reached a disappointing end. Three weeks of excitement and mystery for the public – his clothes found next to a dumpster and the suspicious red blots on the concrete had everyone on edge. Then suddenly the boy appeared in a hospital. The people around him refused to speak, that was nothing new, but even those police officers who were willing to talk before stayed quiet this time. The reason was quite simple: the little boy didn't tell them anything –amnesia, his doctors said. The only thing he was willing to talk about was that a young businessman saved him, whose identity was shrouded in mystery. Eventually the name "Yamada" slipped through closed doors, but it wasn't a big help. Still, several businessmen named Yamada received suspicious, doubting, or curious looks, mostly in Tokyo.

This didn't bother the police. What did, though, was that they barely knew more about Yamada than the public. They knew how he looked like, where he lived (a small apartment in Shibuya), and his full name, since he appeared to them a few times – "appear" being the best word for him. He was practically unreachable to the police, but he always seemed to show up when they needed him. There was something eerie about him, and no one could find out exactly what it was.

There were only two people who knew the truth about him, and three more who thought they knew. Yamada Shuuzo, currently standing next to a hospital, staring at one of the windows, wanted to keep it that way.

* * *

Silver moonlight slipped into the small hospital room through the windows, making the floor glow. In the corner, on the bed, Shinichi sat and stared into nothing. He might've looked like some puppet, hanging from a loose string, but he was tense and anxious – he was waiting. Everytime the curtains moved, he turned to the windows with a hopeful look, only to continue staring into nothing in the next moment. Every little noise made him jump and gasp, and filled him with hope at the same time. He wanted to laugh at himself, because really, how ridiculous it was of him, to wait anxiously like some lovesick schoolgirl, and for someone who might never come…!

He heard a sound again, this time from the door, and he turned so quickly that his neck started to hurt. _Did he come back?_

"You look awful, Kudou-kun."

He tried, really tried to hold back the sigh that escaped him in the end. "Thanks, Haibara, you always know how to cheer me up." he grumbled, stubbornly not looking at her.

"Well, I saw how you were pining away like a lovesick schoolgirl, so…" Shinichi winced – so she reached the same conclusion. "I came here to check up on you."

"How nice of you…"

"Also, I wanted to ask a few things."

"Whoa, who would've though…?" Shinichi turned back to her with an unamused smile that died from his lips the moment he saw the unimpressed look she gave him. _No one should be able to look this unimpressed. No one._

"I though you would appreciate it." she said lightly as she pulled out a chair for herself. "Now you don't have to worry about the others at least. Not your girlfriend or that Osakan."

"And the professor?" He looked at Haibara warily, but she only shrugged.

"He's at home, snoring. Sleep pills do wonders."

"Oh."

"So you see, I was wondering about him for a while now… Your mysterious saviour." She paid no mind to his gasp, just went on, as if she was talking about the weather. But her gaze was piercing, and Shinichi found it difficult to breathe. He should've expected this. He probably did, but he wanted to ignore it. "You seem to trust him so much, even though you met him only a few weeks ago. And you told him everything about yourself too. Why? Why would you do that, when you refused to reveal yourself to your girlfriend, whom you've known for years?" They watched each other in silence for a few moments. Shinichi wanted to pretend that he didn't remember, that his head hurt, that he was panicking, but he knew it wouldn't work. Not on her.

"I was at his mercy, Haibara." he started after a weak sigh." He could've killed me for all I knew! If I didn't give him what he wanted… I could've angered him, and then…"

"Oh yeah, he clearly took care of you only to kill you later. Logical."

"I didn't know what to expect from him!" He tried to defend himself. It felt like he could do nothing against her, because everything he could say would be just thrown back at him. Was he that obvious? He probably was, he admitted to himself, but it didn't stop him from trying. He remembered the little card still hidden under his pillow and what it meant.

"So you've just told him everything about yourself. I see. Now, remind me, what was the excuse you used for this new identity of yours?"

"Excuse? What are you talking about?"

"The reason why you created Edogawa Conan. Why did it happen? Oh yeah, because you didn't want to put your loved ones in danger. But what about this stranger? Wouldn't you put him in danger this way? Or it doesn't matter as long as you don't know them?" Haibara's lips curled into a cruel smile.

"That's not what I-"

"Well, the truth is that it doesn't matter, and you should know that by now." The smile disappeared, and her gaze got even icier than it was. Shinichi had to wonder, when was the last time he was that scared of her. "You've seen what the organisation can do, right? If they want to get rid of someone, they will. Whether your loved ones know about you, this little act of yours, and them, it doesn't matter. If they had ever cared about Kudou Shinichi, you'd be dead already, along with everyone else around you. Lucky for you, they never did."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I'm fed up with this act, this joke you like to play, the poor little amnesiac boy. It must be comfortable, pretending to be the victim and having your girlfriend fussing over you, really. But we know you're hiding something."

"I'm not hiding anything. What are you even talking about? I… I don't remember anything from the past three weeks. I only know that when I woke up, it was-"

"It was dark and scary, right? Oh, of course. Since you're just a poor little boy, right? "I was so scared, Ran-neechan!" Right? Say, aren't you disgusted with yourself?"

"Hey, who gives you the… the right to…!" He growled, but Haibara stopped him.

"The right? I need permission to tell the truth or something? You're such a coward, seriously. Even if I needed it, what makes you think I'd ask you of all people?"

"Did you come all the way here to tell me this? Because if that's the case, you might as well sneak back. I don't need this." Anger was bubbling up inside him. He didn't even want to consider that she was right, because his wounded pride was screaming inside him. _Who are you to judge me_, he wanted to ask. _Who are you to tell me I'm weak? You don't know anything!_

"Oh no, you're not going to get away with playing the victim again. I still don't know what is between you and your "Yamada-san". And I'm going to find out." The icy words she spat at him dragged him back from the furious haze his mind was in, but it did little good to him. Shinichi was still stubborn – and he had a good reason, he told himself.

"Right, you wanted to ask me about him. You were so busy with telling me how horrible I am that I almost forgot."

"Save your snarky remarks for later, and for someone who actually cares." She narrowed her eyes. "So, why is it that you told that man everything when you don't even trust the girl you love with it? Who is he to you?"

"What makes you think that I'll answer you anyway?" He crossed his arms and looked at her defiantly. The cold smile he got in return made him shiver.

"Because it would be such a shame if your girlfriend had to find out through someone else who you really are."


	26. In which Shinichi bows

_All this misery with university issues is killing me, seriously. I know I update slowly, and I apologize for that. I'll try to update faster when I can, but I can't promise you guys anything._

_Btw, Shinichi is a shoujo princess, spread the news!_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

"You wouldn't." Shinichi hissed after two beats of stunned silence. He felt a chill run down his spine, as his fingers curled tightly around his blanket, and tried to focus on not hyperventilating. Haibara watched him in calm silence, as if she didn't just threaten to… to…

"I would." she said in return, almost unnecessarily.

"L-look…" Shinichi started, inwardly cursing himself for stuttering. "There is nothing I could tell you about him. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't."

"You can't expect me to believe you." The look she gave him was deadpan, yes, but only at first glance. Something that was less intense than fury, but stronger than annoyance boiled behind it, and it worried Shinichi that he couldn't figure out what it was. He only knew that Haibara was losing her patience, just as the chance to get out of this safely was slipping out of his hands. The situation was oddly familiar.

"I don't expect you to, of course. It all sounds impossible and illogical, but… we've been through a lot of impossible and illogical things, right?" He gave a weak chuckle, but quickly shut himself up when all he received was that cold look. "I know why you ask me this."

"Oh?"

"You're scared that you'll be found out. That if I'm discovered, you'll be too."

"Brilliant."

"But, you know… I really was at his mercy. I thought that I'll die. He… questioned me. Like you do now. I knew I wouldn't be able to escape, so I… told him. I was weak, so I replied when he asked me, because I didn't know what else I could do." He bowed his head, and chose not to look at her as he spoke. He heard Haibara sigh.

"So you just gave us out like that?"

"But! You need to know that he… Yamada won't tell anyone. He would never do it."

"And how can you be so sure about that? He's just a-"

"Because I trust him." Shinichi said, and showed a weak, shaky smile. It wasn't there to earn Haibara's sympathy or pity, such cheap tactics wouldn't even work on her. He just felt funny. The more he said it, the easier it was. He should've done it while he was still at Kaito's place, he should've kept trying.

"Why?"

"I don't even know why…" He chuckled. It was an answer that wouldn't satisfy Haibara, that was true. But that was all he could say without mentioning Kaito. "I just know. He wouldn't betray me." She watched him warily for a while, thinking about what he said. She sighed, and the look in her eyes seemed to change. As if she was giving up. Shinichi knew, however, that it wouldn't be so easy. There was still something waiting for him.

"Let me ask one more thing. Does Yamada Shuuzo really exist?"

"Of course he does. What the hell are you talking about, Haibara? You saw him with your own two eyes!"

"I know I saw someone. Someone who said that his name is Yamada Shuuzo. But how do I know that he's telling the truth? He's even less believable that you are. So tell me this: does he even exist?"

"He… I can't tell you." He bowed his head again as he uttered those words. "He trusts me too, he believes in me and that I won't tell anyone." Shinichi took a deep breath, as he tried to get himself together. This was like a test after all. A test of how trustworthy he was to Kaito, and if he ever wanted to talk to him again, he had to pass. So with a wince he momentarily kissed his pride goodbye and went on." And I want to keep his secret. If you want to… go ahead and tell Ran who I am. She deserves to know anyway. I would prefer to do it myself, but… there's nothing I can do to stop you, right?" Haibara chuckled.

"You're really something else… But no, I'm not going to be this merciful. I won't do your job. You're going to tell her yourself, and accept whatever she tells you in return. Whether she'll curse you or forgive you, accept or reject you, you'll be there to bear it."

"Huh?"

"There are multiple reasons why it wouldn't make sense for me to reveal your secret anyway." She shrugged, and stood up, putting her chair back to its place." So gather your courage, if you have any left. See you soon." And with that, she left Shinichi alone with his thoughts.

The room was silent, save for the curtains as the wind played with them, and the quiet sound of feathers fluttering outside.

* * *

Ten days have passed without a single sign from Kaito. Neither in the hospital, nor anywhere else. After a few days Yamada has disappeared a single sign – he moved out of his apartment, left his job, and probably even the country. Kid announced no heist, and he wasn't spotted anywhere either. The only thing that Shinichi could assume was that his real identity was fine, as there were no reports of missing teenagers in the news – that was at least a little relief.

Shinichi himself was released from the hospital after five days – the doctors looked for any sign of drugs, since the police was convinced for some reason that those made him lose his memories. But in the end there was nothing they could find, other than the slowly healing wound on his head. So, after they let him go, he went back to Ran's place.

He tried to gather his courage, as Haibara said, he really tried. He knew that the more he waited, the more difficult it would be to do it. Her words stayed with him, and haunted him – he was really a coward, he had to admit. It didn't feel good, obviously, and everytime he looked at Ran, it just got ten times worse. Twelve, when he had to talk to her too. He made one attempt, only a single one, to tell her the truth, and how he was sorry, only to be interrupted by a case – a long and tiring one. He still sneaked out to investigate, to let him rest. There was something odd about he needed a murder calm him down. Maybe there really was something wrong with him.

A case, a murder, that was something he always had in his life. He became used to it, the thrill of it, outsmarting the criminal… He had to think, but in the end, everything made sense, and he could reach the truth. It was a battle of wits, not emotions. Because when it came to his heart and what he felt, Shinichi was always a little lost. He never had to learn how to deal with them, he never even wanted to. He preferred being in control, rather than feeling awkward and clumsy. And even though he knew that he couldn't push what he felt away forever, he still tried, kept trying. Sadness, worry, fear – it was better to leave those behind.

And then came the tenth day, after the case was solved and he had nothing to distract himself from Ran's frantic worry and the fact that Kaito never showed up. It was evening already, and everyone else went to sleep, and then, only then, on his own, he decided that this couldn't go on any longer. He would make things right, he would admit what he had to, and he would find the magician who was hiding from him.

He went to sleep with those thoughts.

* * *

They were flying, Shinichi was certain about that. Heaven knows how high, how many skyscrapers reached for them from the buzzing city, how many people chased them… It was almost meaningless too. He looked down at Tokyo under them. The light blinded him, the wind roughly tore into his hair, so he squeezed his eyes shut – earning a low, tired chuckle from the boy holding him –

Shinichi gasped. He knew this. He saw this already. He could predict what would happen if they didn't disappear very quickly.

"Kid, listen, we need to-"

Too late. The thundering sound of the gunshot echoed in the air, and it filled Shinichi with fear again, without fail. Except they didn't fall from the sky this time, they were still flying, though in a different direction.

It took him a few moments before Kid's voice reached him, and even more before he could understand his words too instead of only hearing his frantic tone.

"-kay, you hear me? Just keep your eyes open, please, just do that for me. You'll be fine, you'll be safe, just don't fall asleep. We'll be there soon, okay? Please, I beg you, you can't-"

Huh. So Kid was alright, Shinichi noted with a low hum. Then who was the gunshot aimed at? Did the sniper miss? And why was Kid so worried?

The world seemed to slow down, the lights under them faded, and the sounds of the buzzing city gave way to the sound of blood rushing in his ears and his own weakening heartbeat. And in that moment, as he took a shuddering, broken breath, looked up at Kid and saw him crying, he realized what happened.


	27. In which Shinichi meets the red witch

_Hey everyone! It feels good to be back :D Slowly, but surely I'm getting used to being an uni student, which can mean only one thing: I might return to my schedule~ I'm still not sure how it'll happen, but I'll try to do my best~_

_Until then, here's the new chapter!_

_Please enjoy!_

* * *

Some people say that if you die in a dream, you'll die in real life too. Shinichi wondered about that after he woke up from his nightmare with a soft gasp. He was clearly still alive, his heart was beating, and he was breathing, yet he couldn't stop thinking about it… Maybe there was some hidden meaning, something he didn't notice, a clue.

He no longer felt worry, fear, or even fury at the nightmare, not with that last shift. There was only surprise and curiosity. What did it mean? Was that dream a warning, telling him that no matter what happens, one of them will have to die? It definitely sounded harsh. Or maybe Shinichi was to stop it before it actually happened? Maybe it really was just a meaningless phantasm, created by a part of his mind that was just painfully attached to Kid at this point?

Attached, huh… Funny word. It almost made it seem like the two of them were connected, when reality couldn't be more different. It was just Shinichi, reaching out, grasping at nothing, while Kid was intent on severing… well, whatever they had between each other. Shinichi knew that what he felt was more than just gratitude, yet it wasn't love, just some warm, uncertain feeling sprawling across his chest and pressing down on him.

He groaned quietly as he pulled up the blanket up to his chin. Emotions weren't his domain, they really weren't.

* * *

The day just went on in a blur. Morning, going to school, enduring the boredom the lessons brought, the excited chirping of Shounen Tantei… It all faded into one hazy picture, while Shinichi sunk into his thoughts. His mind kept wondering back to the nightmare, and the most recent shift of it. It was odd how much his death didn't bother him… All that seemed to matter were Kid and the sniper. He repeated the same questions over and over again, but there was no one who would give him answers.

Before he noticed it, he was heading home from school. His head hung low, his eyes directed at the concrete under his feet, unseeing. How he didn't get hit by a car, he didn't know, he didn't care.

But then he did bump into something. He looked up, and pair of ruby red eyes gazed back at him. He heard someone gasping, but it took him a few moments to realize that it was him. _The witch…_

"Oh, it's you…" she breathed out softly. Shinichi couldn't read anything from her expression. "So even you couldn't hold him back, huh?"

"W-what…" Though he didn't feel that sudden rush of infatuation like last time, it was still difficult to speak coherently.

"And here I was, believing that he cared about you… Maybe I was wrong?" The smile she showed was supposed to be happy, but the witch looked too tired to make it seem genuine. But what she said… it didn't make sense, or at least, not to Shinichi. She was talking about Kid, yes, that much was clear, but other than that…

"What are you talking about?" he asked after a few moments, when he couldn't determine her motives and the meaning behind her words just from looking.

"Oh my, didn't you see them?" The smile stayed, but it was like a cheap, useless copy of Kid's poker face. It didn't hide anything, neither the surprise, nor the weariness.

"See what?" He asked impatiently.

"The visions." She huffed, and traded her smile for a "why do I even bother with you" expression. "My spell was perfect, so you were supposed to see Lucifer's predictions as well." Shinichi had some pretty obvious doubts about these predictions, but he could understand what she meant.

"The nightmares?" he asked, just to make sure. "You… you were behind those?"

"Well, you could say that." She shrugged, while still keeping her elegance.

"But why?" It wasn't like he could expect her to answer. He couldn't expect anything from the witch, she was too unpredictable for that. Yet Shinichi couldn't hold back the question that was just begging to be asked. And it appeared that the witch was kind enough to reply.

"That fool doesn't listen to my warnings anymore." Melancholy flickered in her eyes as she spoke. She shook her head with the smallest movements, and let the first genuine emotion show on her face. Sadness. But it lasted for barely a second, before annoyance took over, as she added: "Not that he ever did. So I tried to do something different, and let someone else do the warning. To see if he would listen."

"So you put those weird dreams in my head and hoped that I would hold him back?" Shinichi asked incredulously. It was one of the weirdest ideas he ever heard, and he didn't like it one bit. This witch was messing with his head, and who knows what else she had changed without him noticing? She didn't seem to mind his odd phrasing, his disbelieving tone, or the hints of anger on his face, though.

"As much as I hate it, he's in love with you. I assumed that if you asked him to stay, he would." She said it so naturally, as if she's been talking about the weather. As if the magician loving him was "just another rainy day, nothing new". He stood there for a while, in silence, staring at her. It was just a trick, an attempt to mess with his head even more, right? It had to be… He knew that he wasn't just some plaything for Kid, not anymore, not when he turned back into Conan… No, even before that, there were hints. But love? Actual… romantic feelings? For him?

He was so confused by this that he almost let something important slip. Almost.

"Wait, wait a second. What do you mean, "stay"? And me, holding him back? From what?"

"You haven't heard yet?" And again. The "why do I even bother with you" look. Her poker face might have been utterly useless, but she had mastered this one.

After looking down at Conan for a while, she quite simply threw a newspaper at his face. He quickly understood what she meant – a grainy picture of Kid grinned back at him from the front cover. Shinichi already felt several swearwords and less than dignified shouts bubbling up inside him, before he settled with slightly crumpling the unsuspecting newspaper in his hands.

"This can't be." he hissed.

"My exact words from this morning." she huffed again and crossed her arms. "But it apparently can be, and he will run straight into his death if he does it."

"We have to-"

""We?" she raised an eyebrow, looking at Shinichi as if he's just told a really bad joke. "Did you achieve anything with him? Your warnings didn't work either, so…" She paused for a moment, before realization flashed in her eyes. The look she gave him was murderous. "You didn't tell him."

"I…" He quickly wanted to come up with an excuse – how he didn't know that his nightmares were predictions, how he just didn't want to worry Kaito… One look from the witch shut him up. When she spoke again, her tone was light, but it had an edge – the annoyance, the anger she felt was still there.

"Well, it doesn't matter." She turned her back to Shinichi, ready to leave him, as she murmured under her breath: "I'll drag him down from the sky myself, even if I have to break his wings."


	28. In which Kid flies high and sinks low

_*grins*_

* * *

Despite the fact that he felt the really strong urge to shout at the magician for disappearing, Shinichi didn't even consider "breaking his wings", as the witch had put it. Because deep under the anger he felt, there was worry. So much that Shinichi felt like he was going crazy with it. And just when he was already stressed out, Kid just had to have a heist. He couldn't have chosen a worse time.

So after his brief, but all the more frightening meeting with the witch, Shinichi headed home while his mind was running a million miles per minute. He wanted to laugh at himself until he cried, for being so miserable, for possibly overthinking and worrying too much, before he realized that it was no laughing matter. Kid's life was in danger now, and he was absolutely sure that the idiotic thief would do absolutely nothing to avoid trouble. Which could mean only one thing – Shinichi had to take care of it himself. Sure, it was a bit problematic, since he was, annoyingly, still stuck in a child's body and thus had to face ridiculous limitations like early curfew, but if he decided that he would help Kid, he truly would, even if that was the last thing he did.

Words were all nice, but they meant nothing unless action followed them, though. So, on the day of the heist, (two days after his meeting with the witch, that is), he showed up at the museum, while dragging a slightly grouchy Mouri Kogoro and a still frantic and worried Ran along. The task force, as always, was there, having just enough members ready so that faces wouldn't be remembered and others could sneak in with no problems. Shinichi shook his head at that – some things never change.

* * *

Shinichi was slowly getting sick of all the noise. They were nowhere near the mayhem Kid was going to cause, but maybe because he was on the edge on that evening, the constant shouting of Nakamori irked him more than ever. Just spending another minute in the area seemed to be an impossible task. But still, he tried to hold on and, well… keep wondering around. Not that he was looking for anything specific. He just wanted to make sure that people wouldn't pay too much attention to him. Once they got used to him walking around, disappearing from one place and appearing at another, supposedly looking for clues on what Kid might plan, he could slip away just fine.

It was a shame, but he wasn't going to watch the chaos unfold around the gem this time. It would most probably the same as usual: Kid stealing his target, and then escaping. And if Shinichi was right, he would do so through the roof. There, he would intercept the thief, and make sure that they don't start flying around. To be honest, he couldn't possibly imagine why the thief would even want to do that, but after living with him for three weeks, he was… a bit used to him and his antics. Maybe he didn't need a reason, he'd just do it on a whim. Shinichi huffed. His reasons didn't matter now – keeping him alive did.

With that thought, half an hour later he knocked out two guards on his way to the roof. Normally he might've tried to sweettalk them into letting him through, but this time he was too desperate. After a moment, he decided to hide them behind the door. He had to cringe at his behaviour, though. He almost felt like a criminal.

"Kid, you better appreciate this…" he grumbled, though he knew that Kid would probably do anything but that. Still, he gathered himself and run up the stairs.

* * *

At 9 pm, Shinichi heard the distant rumble of an explosion. It seemed that the heist started just on time, according to schedule. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding, as he leaned back against the railing on the roof. He didn't like how shaky it sounded, nor the way his palms got clammy. Damn... he was nervous.

It was crazy how he didn't realize before that he didn't have a plan. But there he was, standing on his own, the only thought on his mind being "stop him." But as for how to do it… He didn't know what he could say to Kid. He could try to joke, to laugh everything that happened between them off, but then Kid wouldn't understand how important it is that they don't fly. Thinking about it all… waiting for him on the roof would be entirely stupid.

"I have to stop him before he even reaches the roof," he breathed out, and dashed over to the door. He tore it open and-

"Hey. I was wondering where you went."

Kid was standing right in front of him. His first instinct was to reach out, to make sure he's not seeing a ghost – he had to clench his hands into fists to hold himself back.

"Then again, I should've expected this." Kid went on as he brushed past Shinichi. "We always meet on the rooftop after all. It's like a secret tradition, just between the two of us." He turned back, and the Moon drew a silver aura around him. "When I plan my heists, I sometimes ask myself what you might say. Playing with my dear task force is always fun, but they can be a bit predictable sometimes… But you? You are always so interesting." With slow, careful steps, he walked back to Shinichi, and crouched in front of him. "And I keep wondering… with the next heist, with my next trick…" He stopped for a moment, showing his own sad smile, as he reached out to touch Shinichi's cheek. "…will I make you smile?"

Shinichi took a shuddering breath, and Kid pulled away.

"I'm lucky, though. I was hoping you would wait for me here, so I wouldn't have to fetch you." He grinned. "I planned something funny."

"You're getting your revenge because I didn't watch your performance?" Shinichi snorted.

"That's not a bad idea. How do you feel about golden glitter?"

"Not very enthusiastic. Listen, there's something-"

"That's good, because I don't have any left!" Kid laughed. "Well come on, we only have this night!"

"What are you-"

"I'm showing you something pretty!" And with that, he picked up Shinichi like he was nothing. "It's a bit far away, so we'll have to fly, though." He laughed again, and strode towards the edge. The breath got stuck in Shinichi's throat and then… they jumped.

For one endless moment, they were falling as they leapt off the edge of the roof, before something pulled them back up in the air and the wind carried them away. Shinichi looked up, and he could've sworn he saw wings on Kid's back. One blink was all it took though for him to realize that he was wrong – the glider. He already felt the fear bubble up in him, numbing his limbs, clutching his heart.

And the worst thing was that Kid was grinning - he had no idea what was coming for him. He had to warn him, he had to-

"I imagined it a bit differently, but I always thought that one day we'd fly around like this," Kid said, and beneath his Poker Face and the barely audible, nervous edge of his tone, there was joy, genuine joy. For just a second, Shinichi wished that he could let himself feel it too, before he returned to reality.

"Look, we need to land somewhere. Right now."

"I though you don't have problems with heights."

"I don't, but we have to. We can't just-"

"But of course we can!" Kid laughed triumphantly, and looked down at Shinichi_. This is how someone looks like when they think they own the whole world_, he thought, and he would've felt bad for ruining it for Kaito, if it wasn't for the fact that both of them were going to die unless they disappear as quickly as they can.

"No, we can't. Listen to me! You'll get shot if we don't land right now and hide somewhere."

"Shot? What makes you think-"

Gunshot shook the air. The sound from his nightmares, Shinichi remembered, loud and clear. For a moment, nothing moved, like the universe was holding its breath. And then, they were falling again, like they were on a rollercoaster, only it ended in concrete and blood. Shinichi wanted to scream, filled with frustration, because even when he knew, even when he had to chance to stop it and save them both, he failed.

The arms around him never loosened, though. If anything, they held him tighter, closer, and Shinichi looked up with a gasp.

"Hey, you okay there?" Kid asked as he was grinning down at him. This had to be a dream, some stupid fragment of his imagination compensating for the reality, this had to be-

"Yeah," he breathed out in the end.

"Great. I'll try to make the shooter believe that he succeeded, maybe they'll leave us alone then. I don't know about you, but I don't like getting shot.

"You'll try wha-"

And then the breath was knocked out of Shinichi as they landed on a rooftop rather roughly. It wasn't a spine crashing fall, sure, but it wasn't too comfortable either. When he tried to raise his head to grumble, however, Kid pushed him down again and hissed in his ear: "Stay low a bit." And so he did. For long, tense moments he could only hear their breathing and his own thundering heartbeat, before the world cleared out once again, and he could hear the city rumbling under them. A few more moments later Kid patted him on the back. "I think you can get up now. But we should get out of here." They both stood up and headed to the door, leading off the rooftop.

When it closed behind them, Kid grinned at him.

"I didn't know you could predict the future."

"What?"

"You knew that someone is going to shoot at me. That's why you were so desperate." Shinichi could hear the shift in his tone. It sounded joking, like he was just laughing at it all, but there was a question behind it, or even worse – suspicion. He didn't know what Kid suspected, but he assumed that it wasn't anything good.

"I did."

"How?"

"I… uh… I had these dreams." Kid looked at him like he was urging him to go on. "Nightmares. We were flying, just like we did now, and then you would get shot. Someone would shoot you and we would fall down."

"You never told me…" It sounded like confusion was slowly building up inside Kid. No wonder. But Shinichi just wanted to roll his eyes – lately the thief hasn't exactly given him the chance to tell him anything.

"I didn't think they were important. I had a bad feeling about them, but that's the same with every nightmare."

"And then something made you change your mind."

"Yes." And now came the difficult part. Talking about the witch made Shinichi uneasy. Also, he had a feeling that it might upset Kid, and he wanted to avoid that. Still, he had to tell him, Kid wanted, if not demanded answers. "I met her. The witch. She told me that the dreams were… predictions."

"How come you can see them?" The look Kid was giving him meant that he wouldn't accept any lies. He would see through Shinichi if he tried.

"She… made me see them. She thought that if I'll be the one warning you, you'll listen." The more he spoke, he higher his voice got, and the more he shrank away from Kid. And for a reason. The thief looked downright murderous, and the way he clenched his fists promised nothing good. Shinichi felt lucky that this anger probably wasn't directed at him.

"Why…" Kid whispered to himself. He probably didn't want Shinichi to hear, but somehow, it seemed like he forgot that he wasn't on his own. "Why is it that even if I let you go, you still get in trouble because of me?"

As he looked at him closer, Kid looked like he was ready to run off again, so Shinichi quickly grabbed his hand to stop him. That earned him a gasp and a surprised look that, for reason he knew awfully well already, made him blush a bit. He had to fight a little to find his voice again, but when he did, he tried to sound confident, though he knew that Kid would see through him anyway.

"I don't want you to leave. I told you that I trust you, right? The first time I freaked out, but now I know that I do." Kid just smiled sadly at him.

"I know. And I'm glad that you do."

"Then what more do you expect from me? If you think that you're protecting me this way, you have to know that you're wrong. Something always happens, whether I'm with you or not. But if-"

"You don't know what you're saying."

"I know perfectly what I'm saying! Don't you get it? Even if you're not with me, this won't change, so at least… at least…"

"You are a child!" Kid cried out. "You're weak and fragile, it wouldn't take too much to break you. And if you're near me, someone might just… They might just take you and hurt you until they get what they want from me! You are my weakness, but I can't afford to have any! So just let me go just like I let you go!"

They just stood there, staring at each other in silence for a few moments.

"Now… now you get it." When Kid spoke again, his voice was shaky and quiet. "I'm not as selfless as you think I am. Did you think that it was all for your sake?" He gave another sad smile, before he disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Shinichi leaned tiredly against the door, as he looked up, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes.

"You… you don't know what you're saying. It doesn't make sense at all."


	29. In which Shinichi is drained

_Hello people~ I'm proud to say that we've finally reached the last round of Pocket Archives - the end is almost in our reach! Still, until we actually have it in our grasp, I'll try to do my best to make this an enjoyable ride for all of you who stayed with me and this story for so long ^^_

_Thank you for all of your kind comments, they mean a lot to me!_

_This chapter is a bit short, and please forgive me for that, but I hope you guys will like it~ (And forgive me for the mistakes, I'm uploading this literally two minutes after I finished because I'll be busy after this ^^")_

_Please enjoy~_

* * *

They didn't get too far with Kid – the building they landed on was only a few blocks away from the museum. Shinichi considered himself lucky. This meant that if he was fast and sneaky enough, he could make his way back before the last bits of chaos and mayhem died down. The excuse for his disappearance was right there – he chased Kid. It wasn't even a lie, he was just leaving out details.

Exit the building, run down the street while being out of sight as much as possible, make his way into the museum, find Ran or someone familiar at least, tell them his excuse and go with the flow. That was the plan.

But moments passed, and he still just stood there, pressed against the wall, breathing heavily, choked down hiccups leaving his mouth as his vision got blurry. He wasn't crying, and surprisingly, he felt that he couldn't have done it even if he wanted to. It was oddly difficult to. It was as if the tight feeling all across his chest reached his tears too, keeping them inside.

"This is ridiculous," he growled, mentally chiding himself. Of course his mind didn't need to much time to catch up, unlike his body. Of course it started bullying him. It didn't hesitate, not for one second, to inform Shinichi about what a failure he was, though it offered no solution to his problem, and not even a what if scenario, a way he could've done it better. It was only there to mock him, and Shinichi had to withstand it. He had to listen to his mind, because listening to his heart was apparently the worst idea he ever had.

A minute passed, and then he finally took a big breath, ready to leave. He had his mask on, hiding anything that might give him away.

* * *

On that night, as he lied under the blankets back at the agency, Shinichi found himself desperately wishing for the ability to turn back time. He would've erase his exchange with Kid, not only from that very night, but possibly all of them. He would've gone back, back when he was doll sized, and asked for freedom. "Let me go," he would've said when Kid locked him up. No, even before that, even before Kid found him in that dumpster, when all he had was a mild interest in the thief. He would've found that point in his life, and stomped on his feelings, crushing them under the heavy weight of his logic, drowning his curiosity in literally anything else but Kid and his heists.

Anything to feel less miserable. He sighed. Emotions really weren't his thing after all. They weren't logical and all they did was mess with his judgement and concentration. They hurt and there was no remedy to the pain other than time, when Shinichi couldn't wait.

He had a mission, he had people to save, his loved ones, his friends, himself…! Yet this foolish hope that he couldn't break down was there, itching under his skin, urging him to get up and do something. And despite the frustration he felt with himself, with the situation, with Kid, he felt himself going with that hope, blindly, foolishly, visioning scenes that would never happen in his life.

He wondered – when does he reach that point where he can finally give up? Where he can stop hoping? Can he even do that? Maybe he could, after weeks or months, if he really tried, but at that moment, feeling as if he's been slammed to the ground, he couldn't find it in himself to try. This slow suffering, the kind that drained him until the only thing that kept him going is the person who did this to him in the first place, it seemed to be the easier solution.

And gods, he wanted an easy solution.

* * *

The next morning was… odd. Shinichi felt weirdly normal. His feelings were still out of place, he was still drained and lacked the power to do much, but there was no pain. No suffering. His mind's mockery died down too.

The day started normally too, getting ready, eating breakfast, heading to school… If not for the numb feeling in his chest, everything would've been conveniently, almost reassuringly mundane. The world didn't comment on his breakdown, just welcomed him back into his routine, this red tainted, upside down mess that was his life. As if telling him "it's alright." Maybe it was. It was okay to break down as long as he managed to stand back on his feet.

* * *

By the end of his last class, despite his revelation in the morning, Shinichi still felt tired. For once, he could forgive himself, though. Haibara was missing that day, leaving with no rest as the other children pulled him along into their plays. Like the really exciting investigation and chase after someone's pink pen with strawberry scented ink during lunch break. Truly one of his most interesting cases. But if anything, it worked perfectly as distraction during the day, and he was grateful for that.

Still, after they were free from school, he found himself saying goodbye to his friends and heading to his house. He didn't go there to wonder what kind of life he could've had without the organisation, to think about his mission, to beat himself up for his failures… He just wanted some peace and quiet, and hopefully that house would give him just that.

He opened the front door with a heavy sigh, before he stepped inside. He wasn't sure when the place started feeling like a hideout, rather than his home, but it never failed to surprise him. He could come up with any excuse, should anyone find him there, and at that point, he could make himself look and sound believable, but that uncomfortable feeling that he was just sneaking around never eased.

He stepped into his room, his old room then. That drained feeling only got stronger as he put his backpack down and collapsed on top of the bed. The dust that flew up made him cough for a bit, but it passed in the end. It was quiet and peaceful, just like he wanted.

But just as he closed his eyes, he heard the room open again. He sat up with a gasp, turning towards the sound…

…Only to find a fully adult Miyano Shiho standing there.


End file.
